Close to 100 people rallied to keep the RCMP in Surrey on Monday (July 13).
The event was staged outside city hall as Surrey council met remotely, in another virtual meeting.
“Great evening at Surrey City Hall protesting the Mayor’s vanity SPD (Surrey Police Department),” Ramona Kaptyn posted to Facebook.
“Many many Surreyites turned out supporting #keepthercmpinsurreybc,” wrote Kaptyn, president of the Surrey/White Rock chapter of CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons).
“Our ‘honking’ cars circled City Hall, people waved at us from the street and from their vehicles. One supporter was on a recumbent bike and several RCMP vehicles in the area sounded their sirens and gave us a thumbs-up.”
Photos of the rally were posted to social media.
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On June 29, the provincial Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General announced the members of Surrey’s new police board, as part of the city’s transition from the RCMP to a municipal police department.
The board will be responsible for “setting the direction and strategic priorities” of the Surrey Police Department, to replace the Surrey RCMP.
A next step in the City of Surrey’s transition plan will be for the new board to hire a chief constable.
In 2018, Surrey city council voted unanimously to terminate their agreement with the RCMP and transition to a municipal police department.
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