94% of local police in Surrey, British Columbia have signed a pledge not to participate in the RCMP

tomtidgewellNovember 11, 2022

Union president Rick Stewart says new mayor Brenda Locke’s questionable hiring plans “do not take into account” will of union members

The Surrey Police Department logo is seen on the jacket of a Surrey police officer on 31 October 2022. A union representing members of the fledgling Surrey Police Service said its officers and private workers had “no intention” to join the RCMP if the municipal police were abolished. scrap. Photo by Darryl Dyke /canadian press

A union representing members of the Surrey Police Service says 94% of officers are “unwilling” to join the RCMP, despite suggestions from Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke.

Earlier this week, the newly elected mayor told Postmedia News that he hopes many of the 370 SPS officers and staff hired to date will consider working for the RCMP.

However, in a Thursday release, the union representing 293 SPS members below sergeant level said 275 officers had signed a pledge refusing to jump to the RCMP. It describes a ‘toxic’ working environment at the RCMP, including “lack of decisions, instability regarding stay in Surrey and lack of accountability”.

Union treasurer Ryan Buhrig said the wording on the pledge card came from a statement an official made when asked why he didn’t want to join the RCMP.

“They left the RCMP for a reason,” he said.

Buurig said SPS officials had approached unions about informing them of their views on plans to halt the transition of police. They signed a pledge card last week.

Rock said she was “disappointed” by what she called union tactics.

“It’s not a place for police unions to dictate public policy,” she said.

Brenda Locke was sworn in as the new mayor of Surrey on Monday. “This is not the place for police unions to dictate public policy,” Locke said Thursday. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG files

Locke was voted in as mayor after campaigning to stop the police migration. She said she wants to work with SPS and her plan is “people-centric,” but she has not wavered from her campaign promises.

She pointed to the RCMP’s experienced officer program, which provides a rapid process for officers to join the cavalry.

Union president Rick Stewart said Locke’s hiring plan “doesn’t take into account” the will of union members.

The transition to a Surrey police force is underway from 2021 after gaining state approval to create a city army, which former mayor Doug McCallum claimed would be more sensitive to local issues.

“The attractiveness of working for the local police, based in Surrey, remains one of the main factors in its successful recruitment to date,” said one of the police, who quit his job in another police detachment to work in the city. Member Stewart said.

Figures provided by the SPS show that of the 315 police officers recruited so far by the Surrey Police, 55% are from the municipal police and 45% are from the RCMP. A Surrey RCMP Detachment Officer makes up 12.5% of his Surrey Police employment. It also employs 59 civilians.

Earlier this week, Rob Gordon, professor emeritus of criminology at Simon Fraser University, said there may not be too many obstacles for former RCMP officers to rejoin the military, but for local police officers was trained, for example, at the RCMP depot in Regina.

The RCMP trains recruits at its depot division, while BC city police recruits are trained at the BC Institute of Justice.

“It’s complicated,” Gordon told Postmedia News on Tuesday, noting that there are other issues.

In a written response on Tuesday, the RCMP said it was awaiting a decision related to the transition but would accept all opportunities and proceed with staffing and hiring processes as needed.

BC RCMP spokeswoman Dawn Roberts told Postmedia News: email.

She also mentioned the RCMP’s experienced police officer program. She said, “We respect and value the contributions of our SPS colleagues to policing and … have no doubts they will be welcomed into her RCMP.”

In a statement, the National Police Federation, which represents RCMP officials, said it was awaiting the city’s plan to keep the RCMP in Surrey.

“We will continue to respect the decisions of Surrey voters regarding the process and the future of the police force and encourage all political parties to do the same,” said federation president Brian Sauvé.

“Public support for the police is of paramount importance and the NPF appreciates that members of the Surrey RCMP continue to work with their SPS colleagues, answer calls and support the communities in which they live. We want to assure the residents of

Locke says that keeping the RCMP in Surrey will save him a considerable amount of money, but the Surrey Police Commission disputes this claim.

The mayor said the cost impact of canceling the transition will be documented in a report by city officials to be submitted to the BC government, which has the final say on canceling the transition.

She stressed that work is progressing well and that plans to halt the police transition are “moving forward.”

Using files from Gordon Hoekstra and The Canadian Press

gluymes@postmedia.com

twitter.com/glendaluymes

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