Few Surrey Mounties to apply to new force
Survey shows only 14 per cent interested in new municipal police organization
Just 14 per cent of Surrey RCMP members say they have decided to apply to the new municipal police force, according to a survey by the National Police Federation.
More than half of the 754 Mounties surveyed said they would remain with the RCMP and 36 per cent have not yet decided their future plans, the survey by the RCMP union shows.
Surrey Mayor Doug Mccallum has said he expected up to 60 per cent of the current officers in his city to join the new Surrey Police Service, which is scheduled to begin operations in April.
But federation president Brian Sauvé said the survey results paint a very different picture.
“Surrey’s plan is relying on nearly 500 Surrey RCMP members out of more than 800 moving over to SPS, but this survey shows only 103 indicate they would,” Sauvé said.
He said recruiting for the new municipal force “would create significant disruption and destabilization for all police departments in Metro Vancouver and beyond if Surrey is allowed to continue with their proposed transition.”
“On top of the significant strain Surrey ’s plan will place on new officer training and recruitment in Metro Vancouver municipalities, it is clear they will need to meet their targets by recruiting hundreds of officers away from neighbouring jurisdictions who are not familiar with policing in Surrey.”
Sauvé also said the survey results mean that the attempt to have the new force running by April is unrealistic.
Mccallum issued a statement Friday in response to the survey, which was conducted in July with a 95-per-cent response rate.
“If this survey is accurate, and 14 per cent of Surrey RCMP members are interested in joining Surrey police, that would provide a good balance and rich opportunities for policing professionals not only in B.C. but across Canada to join an exciting new urban police service,” Mccallum said. “Once the (Surrey police) board hires a chief, he or she will lead our recruitment program. When that launches, we are confident that all experienced officers will see that they can join a modern urban police service, make a difference in their community and that they can build their career and raise their families here in Surrey.”
The new police board is to hold its second meeting Sept. 15, with its first task to hire the chief. At its meeting in August, members asked for more details on expected transition costs and the timeline.
Surrey Councillor Brenda Locke said that she is surprised as many as 14 per cent of Surrey Mounties would join the municipal team.
“That’s an even higher number than what I would have expected. I have talked to officers a lot. And I don’t know any RCMP officers that will patch over. So that to me was a surprise,” she said. “I think this process has been so poorly handled by the City of Surrey, and the mayor in particular, that nobody should have any trust or faith in this process.”
She also said that given the financial hardship created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Surrey should not be spending money on transition to a municipal force that people don’t want.