The Surrey Police Service (SPS) is a municipal police force currently assuming jurisdiction over the City of

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several police departments within the

Metro Vancouver Regional District The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 28 r ...

, and as of December 2022, the second largest municipal police service in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. In 2021, Surrey was Canada's largest city without a municipal police service. The Surrey RCMP detachment, which the SPS is replacing, is the force's largest contract detachment.

History

Surrey maintained a municipal police department until May 1, 1951, when policing duties were contracted out to the RCMP under a Police Service Agreement. During Mayor

Doug McCallum Doug McCallum (born April 19, 1944) is a Canadian politician who was mayor of Surrey, British Columbia, from 1996 to 2005 and from 2018 to 2022. McCallum was first elected to a seat on Surrey City Council in 1993.(2004).Mayor Doug McCallum, Surr ...

's first term (1996-2002), Surrey City Council considered establishing a municipal police service in response to low RCMP staffing, but ultimately remained with the RCMP due to the high cost of establishing a police force. On November 5, 2018, during McCallum's third term, the council approved a motion to replace Surrey RCMP with a new municipal police force and started the termination process of its Police Service Agreement with the RCMP. On February 27, 2020,

Mike Farnworth Michael C. Farnworth (born July 23, 1959) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 15th and current deputy premier of British Columbia since 2021, and the minister of public safety and solicitor general since 2017. A member of the British C ...

, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, approved the creation of the Surrey Police Board, which is responsible for overseeing the Surrey Police Service. The Board appointed Norm Lipinski, the former deputy police chief of neighbouring

Delta, British Columbia Delta is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, as part of Greater Vancouver. Located on the Fraser Lowland south of Fraser River's south arm, it is bordered by the city of Richmond on the Lulu Island to the north, N ...

, as the first chief constable for the Surrey Police Service in November 2020. In November 2021, the first Surrey Police Service officers were deployed alongside Surrey RCMP officers. On March 10, 2022, a Surrey Police officer was stabbed and wounded during an arrest.

Organization

Budget

An operational budget of $184 million was planned for the fiscal year 2021, while another $63.7 million was budgeted over five years from 2020 to 2024 to complete the transition from the RCMP.

Policing Districts

There will be five SPS

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, aligned with the city of Surrey neighbourhood boundaries. A District Inspector will manage each district. The Metro Team will be a flexible unit responsible for a citywide patrol. * District 1 ( City Centre/Whalley) * District 2 (

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

) * District 3 (

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

) * District 4 (

Cloverdale Cloverdale may refer to: Place names ;Australia *Cloverdale, Western Australia ;Canada *Cloverdale, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood *Cloverdale, Surrey, British Columbia * Cloverdale, New Brunswick * Cloverdale, Nova Scotia *Cloverdale Mall in T ...

) * District 5 (

South Surrey South Surrey is a community within the City of Surrey, British Columbia, located on the Semiahmoo peninsula in the southern portion of the city of Surrey, sharing a border with the city of White Rock. Neighbourhoods of South Surrey include Cresc ...

) * Metro Team (Citywide Patrol)

Divisions

SPS maintains three bureaus, each managed by a Deputy Chief Constable: Community Policing Bureau * Patrol Section * Patrol Support Section * Diversity and Community Support Section * Detention Services Section * Operations Communications Centre Investigative Services Bureau * Major Crime Section * Organized Crime Section * Special Investigations Section * Property Crime Section * Analysis and Investigations Support Section Support Services Bureau * Human Resources Section * Professional Standards Section * Recruiting and Training Section * Information Management Section * Financial Services Section * Planning and Research Section

List of chief constables

* Norm Lipinski (2020–present)

Controversies

Opposition to municipal policing

The

National Police Federation National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(NPF), the bargaining agent representing 20,000 RCMP officers across Canada, and some community members raised opposition to the establishment of a municipal police force on the basis of risks, costs, and low approval ratings according to studies commissioned by the NPF. The two groups attempted to force a province-wide referendum on the issue in 2021, but failed to secure enough signatures for the vote to proceed. In early 2021, Mayor

claimed that the NPF used "unethical publicity stunts" and "racist elements" to politicize the transition. In September of that year, the NPF attempted to trademark five Surrey Police-related brands, including "Surrey Police Department," "Surrey Police Board," and "Surrey Police Union." Jeff Shantz, a professor at

Kwantlen Polytechnic University Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is a public degree-granting undergraduate polytechnic university in British Columbia, Canada, with campuses in Surrey, Richmond, Cloverdale, Whalley, and Langley. KPU is one of the largest institutions by ...

, accused the NPF of

astroturfing Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants. It is a p ...

community opposition to the Surrey Police Service, citing the close relationship between strategists hired by supposedly community-based organizations and the NPF.

Hiring

During the transition process, the Surrey Police Service was accused of "poaching" officers from neighbouring municipal police forces as it rapidly expanded and recruited experienced officers from 18 police forces. In 2022, the Service entered into its first contract with the Surrey Police Union, which included agreements that new recruits would be among the highest-paid in the country and a parity clause that ensured that annual raises would match those of the nearby

Vancouver Police Department The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) (french: Service de police de Vancouver) is the police force for the City of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several police departments within the Metro Vancouver Area and is the second ...

References

External links

Surrey Police Service

Surrey Police Board
{{Law enforcement agencies in Canada 2020 establishments in British Columbia Government agencies established in 2020 Law enforcement agencies of British Columbia Politics of Surrey, British Columbia