Councilor Locke Says Mayor McCallum’s Pet Project Surrey Police Getting Another Raise For Doing Nothing

 Surrey opposition councilor Brenda Locke is charging that mayor Doug McCallum’s pet project the Surrey Police Department is getting another salary increase even though they’re not even operating. “The SPS, at the point, is not yet responsible for the challenges and pressures of a fully operational police force.  In fact, only 29 of SPS officers have been provided the security clearances required and necessary to work,” she said. “The SPS is significantly behind schedule, over budget, and continues to milk the Surrey taxpayer.  This has to stop, ” said Surrey Councillor Brenda Locke.

By PD Raj – Senior Writer DESIBUZZCanada 

SURREY – Surrey opposition councilor Brenda Locke is charging that mayor Doug McCallum’s pet project the Surrey Police Department is getting another salary increase even though they’re not even operating.

Locke said the proposed Surrey Police Service (SPS) is not even an operational independent police force and already it has been given a second salary increase in 18 months; this time it is 3% for 2022.

“The SPS, at the point, is not yet responsible for the challenges and pressures of a fully operational police force.  In fact, only 29 of SPS officers have been provided the security clearances required and necessary to work,” she said. 

She further noted that they cannot work on their own but have been seconded to work under the command and control of the Surrey RCMP.  It is hardly appropriate to compare the SPS members to and allot them salaries similar to the working men and women at the Vancouver Police Department. The SPS contract is modelled after the VPD contract.

“The SPS is significantly behind schedule, over budget, and continues to milk the Surrey taxpayer.  This has to stop, ” said Surrey Councillor Brenda Locke.

 “Adding insult to injury, it is touting that it just completed 1000 files while RCMP members do more than 200,000 files a year,” added Locke. 

“There is every indication that Mayor McCallum, who heads up the Surrey Police Board/SPS, will be gone after the next election. Therefore, the waste of time and money on this unwanted and unneeded proposed police department has to end. I am calling on the B.C. Minister of Safety to put a stop to this charade until after the municipal election on October 15. Then, the people of Surrey can have their say once and for all.”