Surrey, BC — Following is a statement from Brian Sauvé, President of the National Police Federation, in response to a statement released today by the Surrey Policing Transition Trilateral Committee regarding secondment opportunities for newly-hired SPS officers with Surrey RCMP.
“Earlier today, the Surrey Policing Transition Trilateral Committee (SPTTC) indicated it is in the formal planning stages to potentially assign the first fifty (50) recently hired Surrey Police Service (SPS) officers to the Surrey RCMP on or before November 30, 2021. This confirms that even almost three years after Council’s vote, and nine months after hiring a new Chief, Surrey Police Service does not have a clear transition plan. The statement raises a whole new set of concerns and questions about the delayed, unpopular, and expensive plan.
Despite the November 2021 deployment goal, there will be no human resources plan until at least December 31. No clearly defined reporting structures have been offered or are being made available, either, which presents real threats to the safety of Surrey RCMP Members, the newly hired SPS officers, and most importantly, Surrey residents. The statement also references future potential secondments considered for 2022 and 2023.
This announcement implies that this unpopular and costly transition is finally moving in the right direction, but that could not be further from the truth. In fact, the careful language in today’s statement proves that there is simply no plan in place, and the absence of that detail is precisely what should be avoided when working to build public trust on a project of this nature.
The National Police Federation has developed a set of ten questions that we believe Surrey residents may want to ask:
- Who will newly hired SPS officers report to?
- Who will be their employer?
- What is the real transition date?
- Will the new SPS officers be subject to the same protocols and practices as existing RCMP Members?
- Why isn’t a human resources plan in place ahead of a decision to second new officers into the existing Surrey RCMP Detachment?
- Why is the SPTTC pushing ahead with an unclear and confusing secondment initiative instead of a transition?
- How can a transition plan possibly be developed by November 30?
- Whose equipment will be used?
- Why does the SPS budget indicate only $179,245 in vehicle fleet costs to date (2020/2021) when ~40 brand new SPS police SUVs have been purchased, and where is this cost hidden?
- How much are these multi-year secondment opportunities going to cost Surrey residents?
About the National Police Federation:
The National Police Federation (NPF) was certified to represent ~20,000 RCMP Members serving across Canada and internationally in the summer of 2019. The NPF is the largest police labour relations organization in Canada; the second largest in North America and is the first independent national association to represent RCMP Members.
The NPF is focused on improving public safety in Canada by focusing on increasing resources, equipment, training, and other supports for our Members who have been under-funded for far too long. Better resourcing and supports for the RCMP will enhance community safety and livability in the communities we serve, large and small, across Canada.
For more information: https://npf-fpn.com/
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Media contact:
Fabrice de Dongo
Manager, Media Relations
fdedongo@npf-fpn.com
(647) 274-7118