SURREY, BC – As the Surrey Police Board gets set to meet tomorrow, Tuesday, September 15, National Police Federation President Brian Sauvé is calling on the Board to insist on identifying and reviewing the true and full cost of Mayor Doug McCallum’s widely unpopular police transition plan.
“Despite these concerns being raised by residents in numerous surveys, the NPF and many of Surrey’s own City Councillors, the public still does not have a clear accounting of the millions in missing costs for this unpopular plan,” said Sauvé. “We’ve already seen IT costs balloon by $500,000, but there are dozens of other major hidden or unknown costs that the Board must get to the bottom of.”
The National Police Federation has identified an initial list of major costs that the City of Surrey has not accounted for or disclosed:
- Potential doubling of IT costs, based on expert estimates
- Liability and legal costs for accidents, civil actions, and other claims
- Administrative costs for hiring new officers, including polygraph testing
- Health costs to support officers suffering from long-term occupational stress and other injuries, including PTSD
- The loss of federal and provincial tax exemptions, including Federal Sales Tax exemption
- Loss of additional federal subsidies, including 30% subsidy for the Integrated Homicide Investigative Teams (IHIT) service
- Costs associated with negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement
- Potential costs to negotiate pension top ups for RCMP officers transferring to Surrey
- Additional administrative costs for resourcing significant public events, such as parades or celebrations
- Expenses to pay RCMP Members to return to testify in court on ongoing cases in Surrey for three to five years
“The new Surrey Police Board now has the ability to insist on answers to these important questions which require careful consideration, especially in light of COVID-19’s financial and social impacts on residents and Surrey’s multi-million-dollar deficit,” added Sauve. “While the Mayor might find it politically expedient to ignore these questions, we ask the Board to govern in residents’ interests and take the time needed to disclose to taxpayers how much this expensive and unpopular plan will really cost them.”
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 will focus on improving public safety in Canada by negotiating the first-ever Collective Agreement for RCMP officers, and on increasing resources, equipment, training and supports for our Members who have been under-funded for far too long. Better resourcing and support for the RCMP will enhance community safety and livability in the communities we serve, large and small, all across Canada.
For more information: https://npf-fpn.com/.
Media contact:
Brian Sauvé
President
National Police Federation
media@npf-fpn.com
T: 604-861-2684