The chief of the Surrey Police Service says his force, which has been swamped with extortion cases, has been denied by the B.C. government its request to delay the transition from the RCMP.
Chief Norm Lipinski says in a statement that his officers had originally planned for a "staged transition" of the Cloverdale region, taking over policing on the south side in April and the north side in July.
Lipinski says he asked four a four-month delay of the transition, in part due to staffing concerns caused by the "unprecedented extortion crisis."
“Addressing this serious and complex issue has required the redeployment of more than 40 SPS officers to specialized investigative teams. While this work is critical to protecting our community, it has significantly impacted our staffing capacity," the statement says.
“Based on this reality, SPS recommended a revised timeline that would allow us to maintain strong response levels across the city while continuing to address the extortion investigations effectively."
The chief says he was instead told by government that the service would assume responsibility for all of Cloverdale on April 1.
Lipinski says discussions with the province, the Surrey Police Board, police unions, and legal counsel are ongoing.
"My responsibility as chief is to ensure that any transition occurs with the staffing levels necessary to meet community expectations and maintain public safety — particularly while significant investigative resources remain dedicated to the extortion files," he said.
Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger told reporters Wednesday that she was confident the transition for Cloverdale, which she refers to as District 4, will go forward as planned.
"I am confident based on the director of policing's analysis of all the available information, the detailed plans that have been in the works for many months, that we are ready for the District 4 transition," she said.
"And again, public safety is our utmost priority and it's important to note that the RCMP remain fully engaged and will continue to be engaged as we complete the transition to District 4."
The Surrey Police Service said this month that it has been investigating 46 extortion incidents so far this year, while a police task force focused on extortion said it has 32 active files across the Lower Mainland as of January.
Krieger said the province is committed to ensuring that all police forces are supported in fighting extortion.
The conflict comes as the Ministry of Public Safety unveiled the members of a provincial community advisory group on extortion, which is being chaired by former Mountie Paul Dadwal.
The group is made up of former public safety minister Garry Begg, retired judge Wally Oppal, RCMP officer Baltej Dhillon, Ninu Kang, the executive director of the Ending Violence Association of BC, and business owner Harp Khela.
A statement from the ministry says the group will connect with business and community leaders and victims' advocates to understand their concerns and any challenges that need to be communicated to law enforcement and government officials.
It says they will provide "strategic recommendations" to ensure that messages are being received by the community.
The Surrey Police Service began taking over policing from the RCMP at the end of 2024 with the plan to progressively take over geographic regions over several years.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
