The mayors of Surrey and Vancouver have formalized their agreement to work together as the City of Surrey transitions to a municipal police force.
The City of Surrey announced in December that it was asking the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department for “technical assistance” in order to set up a municipal police force.
RELATED: City of Surrey asks Vancouver for help with municipal policing transition, Dec. 12, 2018
Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum said the City of Surrey will be able “to leverage the City of Vancouver’s police department’s best practices and implement them to our municipal force to ensure our entire region continues to fight crime and promote public safety.”
A spokesman in the Mayor’s Office Surrey will re-imburse the City of Vancouver up to $150,000 if there is any costs incurred.
McCallum also said the VPD is “internationally recognized for its evidence-based approach and commitment to excellence.”
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said that at the “request of the City of Surrey,” Vancouver has agreed to “provide technical assistance for the development of a transition plan designed to help Surrey establish a local police department.”
“While we assist in this transition with Surrey, I can assure that policing in Vancouver will continue to remain the VPD’s top priority.”
McCallum and the new Surrey council passed a motion to pull out of the RCMP contract and “immediately create a Surrey Police Department,” just minutes after taking the Oath of Office on Nov. 5.
READ ALSO: Surrey’s top cop ‘disappointed’ after council votes to pull out of RCMP contract, Nov. 5, 2018
READ ALSO: Policing in Surrey — what exactly is the plan?, Nov. 22, 2018
When the Surrey announced in December that the city would be asking Vancouver for help with the transition, a release said the City of Surrey “is interest in leveraging the expertise of the City of Vancouver with the legal and financial issues related to policing.”
“The City also wishes to leverage the VPD’s expertise on strategic planning, the development of a transition plan, and building an operational policing model. This will allow for the efficient and effective delivery of policing services as Surrey transitions to a municipal police department,” the Dec. 12 release reads.
– With a file from Amy Reid
