Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says the 91裸聊视频渓eadership ball91裸聊视频� is now in the provincial government91裸聊视频檚 court concerning the city91裸聊视频檚 policing transition after council peppered Chief Constable Norm Lipinski of the Surrey Police Service and Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards of the Surrey RCMP with roughly an hour91裸聊视频檚 worth of questions about its current state on Monday night.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e heard today that there is much to be done to get the framework and all the legal agreements in place,91裸聊视频� Locke said, summing up the hour. 91裸聊视频淭he city has no authority to do any of that. We cannot just make up the authority, we don91裸聊视频檛 have that right. The province needs to make sure that there is a plan, that there is a path forward.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭his council has done everything asked of us and within our authority to follow through on our obligation to determine the policing model for our city,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淢uch of the issue that we are dealing with are provincial and federal issues and that has become a lot of the stall.91裸聊视频�
Locke stressed that if the NDP provincial government wants the transition to happen, 91裸聊视频渋t needs to step up, show leadership and do their job.91裸聊视频� She said she91裸聊视频檚 repeatedly asked for the plan, has to date sent six letters to provincial government officials, among them Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth and Premier David Eby, 91裸聊视频渁nd seen nothing.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚 have also never heard of why we had our plan rejected (to stick with the RCMP),91裸聊视频� Locke added.
A corporate report before Surrey council Monday night (Sept. 11) revealed there is still 91裸聊视频渘o clear plan, or any supporting documents in place, to continue a transition91裸聊视频� to the SPS from the Surrey RCMP as this city91裸聊视频檚 police of jurisdiction.
91裸聊视频淎s a result, there remains a great deal of uncertainty regarding how a transition to SPS would be completed,91裸聊视频� the report reads.
The corporate report before council concludes that although Farnworth has directed the City of Surrey to forge ahead with the SPS, 91裸聊视频渙utstanding challenges remain91裸聊视频� and development of a 91裸聊视频渃omprehensive framework and planning documents is necessary for any transition to SPS.91裸聊视频�
On July 19 Farnworth ordered city council to carry on with the transition to the Surrey Police Service from the Surrey RCMP, despite council having voted 6-3 on Dec. 12 to maintain the RCMP as the city91裸聊视频檚 police of jurisdiction.
Farnworth then appointed Jessica McDonald as the province91裸聊视频檚 Strategic Implementation Advisor to oversee the transition. In August, Chris Donnelly, a public affairs officer for the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, told the Now-Leader that McDonald 91裸聊视频渋s unavailable for interviews91裸聊视频� and Donnelly emailed a statement attributable to the ministry that 91裸聊视频淭he work by the new Strategic Implementation Advisor to advance the transition is well underway,91裸聊视频� and that the ministry 91裸聊视频渨ill continue to keep stakeholders informed as the work progresses.91裸聊视频�
Monday91裸聊视频檚 corporate report 91裸聊视频� by Terry Waterhouse, general manager of community services, Kam Grewal, general manager of finance, and Joey Brar, acting general manager of corporate services 91裸聊视频� notes that the continued deployment of SPS officers into the Surrey RCMP will require another extension of an assignment agreement past Sept. 30 and the $150 million Farnworth promised from the provincial government to help with costs related to the transition 91裸聊视频渋s likely not sufficient to cover anticipated costs.91裸聊视频�
Grewal told council Monday that none of that $150 million has yet been allocated to the City of Surrey. 91裸聊视频淚n fact I would take a step back and say the city has not received any funding from the province in relation to the transition,91裸聊视频� Grewal said. 91裸聊视频淚 am aware of the public announcement, the public pledge of $150 million which I have on many occasions have said is not enough to cover the damages done to the city both historically and a go-forward basis. As of now, it91裸聊视频檚 all hypothetical.91裸聊视频�
The corporate report notes 91裸聊视频渙utstanding challenges include, but are not limited to, the lack of a joint HR Plan to guide deployments and demobilization, the Assignment Agreement needs to be extended beyond September 2023, and the lack of legal frameworks to support RCMP Members serving under a municipal police department command.91裸聊视频�
Moreover, new governance and project management structures must also be established.
91裸聊视频淭here is also a need to confirm plans for asset transfer or sharing, occupancy of facilities, and file and exhibit transfer, among others,91裸聊视频� the report reads.
Coun. Rob Stutt asked Edwards where the transition is at in following a plan, and given that progress, when the SPS will be in the position to become Surrey91裸聊视频檚 police of jurisdiction.
91裸聊视频淎t this point in time we do not have a plan that is being followed,91裸聊视频� Edwards replied. 91裸聊视频淎 plan is going to have to be developed between the parties, and the architecture to build that plan is going to need to be developed. So for me, it is impossible to provide you with a timeline.91裸聊视频�
Edwards said 233 SPS officers were either deployed or set to be deployed to the Surrey RCMP but currently there are 91裸聊视频渁pproximately 17991裸聊视频� and 38 Surrey Mounties have left the RCMP to join the SPS.
Lipinski said about 45 per cent of the frontline right now are SPS people. Asked how many officers he thinks he actually needs, Lipinski replied he hasn91裸聊视频檛 91裸聊视频渄etermined that specifically.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淩ight now, our planning prior to the election (Oct. 15, 2022) was to look at 734, which is what is authorized to Surrey right now. So as we move forward 734 plus 25, I know that91裸聊视频檚 been in the budget for Surrey detachment, that would be the number I91裸聊视频檇 be looking at but there91裸聊视频檚 still some planning that needs to take place.91裸聊视频�
Stutt asked Lipinski, 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 going to ask you, sir, does the SPS have a plan to move forward?91裸聊视频�
Lipinski replied that for the public91裸聊视频檚 benefit it91裸聊视频檚 important to give context. 91裸聊视频淭wo and a half years when I started this, there was a plan 91裸聊视频� there was an HR plan, there was an assignment agreement which is an agreement between ourselves and the RCMP, but let91裸聊视频檚 stick with the HR plan,91裸聊视频� he said, which had 35 SPS officers being deployed every second month. 91裸聊视频淎nd so when the election happened we put a pause on that, and it was agreed by three levels of government so we missed out on a number of cohorts. And then the HR plan expired May 31. And when we were looking ahead at that time we did look at all the things we would want to bring to Surrey and we have in fact started researching some of that. There91裸聊视频檚 no need to bring it forward to the public at this time because we are not police of jurisdiction. When we get there, we will bring that forward.91裸聊视频�
Stutt asked Lipinski 91裸聊视频淚s there a plan or not? It91裸聊视频檚 a yes or no question.91裸聊视频� Lipinski said 91裸聊视频淲e are in the beginnings of putting together a plan for 2024. I believe that we91裸聊视频檒l be moving forward rather quickly here.91裸聊视频�
He said that 11 more SPS officers were set to 91裸聊视频済o over to the front line91裸聊视频� on Tuesday morning.
Edwards said there is significant work to be done as there is no plan for transfer of assets (ie. patrol cars), a legal framework outside of an MOU, no plan for information management, information technology, no plan for the transfer of hundreds of thousands of files, and no plan for exhibits. Given the priority of moving officers to the frontline, he said, 91裸聊视频淲e are waiting and working with SPS for a plan to get us to Dec. 31. We cannot piecemeal this, we have to do a fulsome plan.91裸聊视频�
Meantime, Coun. Linda Annis noted that having two police departments is costing Surrey taxpayers $266,000 per day. She called the report 91裸聊视频渄isappointing because it reflects a serious lack of urgency and no political enthusiasm or leadership to get the transition done quickly.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚 get it, the mayor wanted to keep the RCMP, but that ship has sailed,91裸聊视频� Annis stated in a press release Monday, charging that Mayor Brenda Locke and council 91裸聊视频渘eed to step up91裸聊视频� and instruct city staff and the SPS 91裸聊视频渢o get on with completing the transition as quickly as possible.91裸聊视频�
Also on Monday, Sept. 11 a press release issued by the SPS bid welcome to its fifth class of recruits. On Sept. 8th, the SPS officially welcomed seven new recruit constables, who will now begin their municipal police officer training at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC).
91裸聊视频淭his group consists of four females and three males, ranging in age from 25 to 38 years of age,91裸聊视频� the press release states. 91裸聊视频淎ll the recruits have a connection to Surrey 91裸聊视频� either as residents or through past employment, as well as extensive volunteering experience. They also reflect the diversity of the community they will serve, with different cultural backgrounds and language skills.91裸聊视频�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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