VPD Budget Issues a Wake Up Call for Surrey’s Proposed SPD

This is no time for Surrey to be changing police forces: Councillor Linda Annis

Councillor Linda Annis says media reports about serious budget issues for the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) during COVID-19 should be “another reason to press pause” on Mayor Doug McCallum’s plans to rush ahead with a Surrey Police Department.

“These are unprecedented times and the last thing we need right now is a police force that’s in some sort of costly, complicated and unnecessary transition,” said Annis. “The fact that the Vancouver Police Department is facing serious policing and budget issues, as the City of Vancouver deals with reduced city revenues, should be a wake-up call for all of us right here in Surrey.

Switching police departments during a global pandemic is a scary thought, both from a policing perspective, but also because of the very real financial impacts facing our city and its taxpayers. Right now, our police department and city staff should be completely focused on public safety and how to manage through the impacts of COVID-19. We shouldn’t be spending another dime or another second on creating a Surrey Police Department while all of this is going on around us.”

Annis said her only interest in reports about possible police budget cuts in Vancouver is to remind Surrey taxpayers what’s at stake with the costly transition to the SPD from the RCMP, particularly during the state of emergency.

“Policing is costly and complex at the best of times,” added Annis. “But during a serious emergency, like the one we’re in right now, we need to stay focused on what’s actually important to our taxpayers, and switching police departments during a health crisis isn’t even close to the top of that list.”