At 12:00 a.m. on November 29, 2024, Surrey Police Service (SPS) assumed responsibility for policing and law enforcement as the City of Surrey’s new police of jurisdiction. This is the next phase in the City’s ongoing transition to a municipal police service.

The primary ways that residents and business owners access policing services in Surrey will not change as result of this change to the police of jurisdiction. Police office locations and the main police phone numbers are staying the same, including 9-1-1 and non-emergency (604-599-0502).

Although SPS will assume overarching responsibility for policing on November 29, the BC RCMP Provincial Police Service will provide temporary policing supports in Surrey until SPS is fully established as a standalone policing service. The continuation of this plan for a phased transition means residents will continue to see both SPS and RCMP officers and vehicles in Surrey until the transition is completed.

Initially, there will be a higher concentration of Frontline SPS officers in Whalley/City Centre and Newton, with more RCMP officers in Guildford/Fleetwood, Cloverdale, and South Surrey. However, officers from both agencies will perform various policing duties across the city: SPS officers will manage several city-wide services including traffic enforcement, emergency planning, and community programs, and RCMP officers will maintain conduct of most specialized policing services in Newton as well as the Criminal Crash Investigation Team, city-wide. 

While officers from both police agencies will primarily provide policing services in “home” districts, the agencies will coordinate responses where and when required to address any emerging public safety needs.

Similarly, there will be no interruption to ongoing investigations during the transition. While not all files will be transferred to SPS at this time, both SPS and the RCMP are taking steps to ensure that every file transfer is done with the utmost consideration for security, confidentiality, and the victims of crimes. In addition, SPS is now joining several other municipal police agencies as a partner in the Lower Mainland Integrated Teams, which means that any Surrey-related files with those teams, such as homicides, will remain with those teams.

As SPS continues to increase its staffing, SPS officers will take over more of the frontline policing and investigative duties that SPS is not taking over on November 29^th. The BC RCMP Provincial Police Service presence in Surrey will, over time, be reduced and RCMP members demobilized in alignment with SPS’s growth.

SPS would like to express its gratitude to the past and current members of the Surrey RCMP who have served in Surrey since 1951. Their legacy of an unwavering commitment to public safety in the City of Surrey is deeply appreciated. SPS looks forward to the continued public safety contributions of the BC RCMP Provincial Operations Support Unit’s temporary assistance until the transition period is completed.

For Surrey residents and business owners, the main online source of public safety information in Surrey is now www.surreypolice.ca. SPS will also provide regular policing updates on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

QUOTES

Chief Constable Norm Lipinski, Surrey Police Service

“November 29, 2024, marks the beginning of a new era of policing in Surrey, as Surrey Police Service officially becomes the City’s new police service. It’s an exciting time and a historic moment, both in policing and in the development of Surrey, as residents will have their own municipal police service for the first time since 1951.”

Assistant Commissioner John Brewer, BC RCMP, Criminal Operations Officer – Core Policing

“I am extremely proud of the Surrey RCMP members and employees who have worked over the years and most recently throughout the police transition. The Surrey RCMP has proudly served the city since in 1951 and over time we have grown and evolved to address the dynamic and diverse community and policing needs. While our role will now shift to a Provincial Operations Support Unit our commitment and dedication to public safety will not change.”