With just days to go before the dispute over Surrey’s police transition heads to court, a new battle has erupted in the war of words between the city and the province.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke released a report Wednesday she alleged proved moving from the RCMP to the Surrey Police Service (SPS) will cost $750 million over the next decade.
“That is astonishing. That is the government’s numbers, not ours,” Locke said Wednesday.
“It is clear that the city and Surrey taxpayers have been deliberately misled. It is clear there has been a complete lack of transparency throughout this entire process.”
Not so, said Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, who alleged Locke was being “completely disingenuous.”
“I am not surprised by this, it is just another effort by the city to try and muddy the waters, and the refusal on their part to accept the transition is going ahead,” Farnworth said.
At issue is a report from Deloitte, which considers various scenarios for policing in Surrey.
One of those scenarios uses the comparison of 734 Mounties to 900 SPS officers, estimating an additional cost of $75 million per year. Another calculation compares forces force strengths of 734 vs. 734 officers, generating a figure of $30 million more per year.
The report says the 900 officer figure was provided by the ministry.
Currently, Surrey has an authorized strength of 834 officers to police the city.
While the SPS collective agreement does require two officers in patrol cars, Farnworth said there has been no change in the total number of officers employed, accusing Locke of comparing “apples and oranges.”
The cost of policing the city under the SPS has been publicly laid out in the department’s budget, he added.
“She’s completely wrong and had she been at the table she would know that,” he said. “The model that is in place in terms of service is the model that will continue.”
Meanwhile, the National Police Federation (NPF), which acts as a union for RCMP officers, alleges Mounties are essentially being held hostage in the city.
“There will be no problem landing our members somewhere where they want to go, the problem is when will they be allowed to go, when will they be released?” said Trevor Dinwoodie, Pacific/North region director for the NPF.
The union is also raising concerns that the province may need to shift officers from other B.C. detachments to keep the Surrey force at minimum strength.
“Do the members currently in Surrey have to stay and continue to police and support the Surrey Police Service, or are we going to have to bring in members from elsewhere?” Dinwoodie said.
Farnworth dismissed that concern Wednesday, saying Mounties frequently transfer between detachments.
On Tuesday, Farnworth set a target of Nov. 29 for the SPS to take over as Surrey’s police force of jurisdiction.
Surrey’s legal challenge of the transition heads to B.C. Supreme Court on Monday.