SURREY, B.C. - City council in Surrey, B.C., has voted to send a plan to the province to keep the RCMP as its police force, saying it would save $235 million over five years.
Mayor Brenda Locke, who campaigned on a promise to retain the RCMP, says that savings for Surrey taxpayers is enormous and the city must stick with the Mounties because it can’t afford to make the change.
The report says the cost of 734 officers with the Surrey Police Service would be $249,460 per officer, while each Mountie would be $205,990.
The city says the plan will be sent to Solicitor General Mike Farnworth by Dec. 15 for his final review and approval, and Locke says she expects an answer back by early in the new year.
Locke says a prompt decision from Farnworth is essential to prevent any further unnecessary spending.
The Surrey Police Service, which is well into its transition in the city, says in a statement the report overestimates how many of its officers would join the Surrey RCMP and doesn't consider $100 million in costs that have already been incurred.
