The cities of Vancouver and Surrey have reached an agreement to help Surrey transition from the RCMP to a municipal police force.
Speaking at his weekly media availability, VancouverMayor Kennedy Stewart announced his surrey counterpart,Doug McCallum, had requested the Vancouver Police Department's assistance.
"This MOU (memorandum of understanding) is a high-level piece looking at strategy," Kennedy said, "not nuts and bolts."
"It's kind of looking at what the structure of the department would look like, any other advice at that level that the city would want," he added.
McCallum had promised to transition the city south of the Fraser River from the RCMP to a new municipal police force in his 2018 mayoral campaign.
"The management and direction of the RCMP in Surrey is done in Ottawa, so all the decision making is done in Ottawa," said McCallum in September 2018.
"We need to have that decision-making out here in the city."
Stewart said he and VPD Chief Adam Palmer have confirmed the feasibility of the project before inking the deal.
“I have assurances from Chief Palmer and his crew there that they have the ability to provide this advice, and it won’t have any detrimental implications to providing police service here in the city,” said the mayor.
As for who will foot the bill?
"It's up to the City of Surrey what they pay for this," said Stewart.
With files from CTV News' Ashley Moliere
