After years of divisive debate, Surrey Police Service replaces RCMP

The Surrey Police Service (SPS) took over from the RCMP as the city's police of jurisdiction at the stroke of midnight Friday, marking a major milestone in what has been a long and sometimes acrimonious journey.

At a Surrey Police Board meeting Wednesday, board administrator Mike Serr called the police force transition the largest ever in Canada, while SPS Chief Constable Norm Lipinski, who's been on the job since 2021, reassured Surrey citizens of a smooth handover that will not compromise public safety.  

"We've been at this build-up for three years," said Lipinski. "I'm hopeful to give some comfort to the community that business continuity continues forward. We are switching to a different model. We are switching leadership, but there are certain staples that stay the same."

Lipinsky reiterated that there will be no change to emergency and Surrey police contact numbers, nor will the buildings that police work out of change, other than branding.

SPS has hired 475 officers and 73 civilians, he said, with another 400 civilians transferring over as employees of the Surrey Police Board. Lipinski said earlier the SPS will need 785 officers to be fully staffed.

While SPS officers have been assisting RCMP in the lead-up, starting Friday, the roles will switch with SPS officers in charge of police operations supported by provincial-level RCMP. The full transition isn't expected to be complete until 2026 or 2027.

Wally Oppal, a former B.C. attorney general who was appointed chair of the Surrey police transition task force in 2019, said the actual moment of transition has been a long time coming for B.C.'s second-largest city.

"The City of Surrey decided that they wanted a local police force that was governed locally with a local police board as opposed to the RCMP, which was a force under contract from the federal government," he said.

"The RCMP, I think, did an excellent job of policing, but it's all about governance, accountability, transparency and all of those things that are essential to policing in a democracy.

SPS will at first assume responsibility for two of Surrey's six policing neighbourhoods to start — Whalley and Newton — and will add South Surrey in the new year. 

Lipinski said while there might "unforseen circumstances" that arise, he's confident in the transition plan.

"Both administrations and three levels of government have been working together for the past [three] years, and very comprehensively in the last 10 months, building up to Nov. 29," he said.

The years leading up to the changeover have been anything but smooth, with Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke — elected in 2022 on a platform of retaining the RCMP — waging battle after battle with the provincial government.

In July, Locke and Surrey council finally acquiesced and agreed to accept a $250-million deal from the province to help pay for the transition.  

The funding is divided into two parts: Surrey will receive $30 million to help pay for the transition costs each year until 2029; and from 2029 to 2034, $20 million per year will be available to pay for the salary difference between SPS officers and RCMP officers if Surrey police officers have a higher salary. 

Surrey residents will not be charged a police tax, and the agreement requires the city to provide space, funding and payroll for the new police service. 

The SPS will hold its first news conference as the police of jurisdiction in Surrey at 1:30 p.m. PT on Friday.