Our job now is to build the best police service in the province: Councillor Linda Annis

Surrey, B.C. (April 23, 2024): Surrey First Councillor Linda Annis says the news that the Surrey Police Service will become the city’s police of jurisdiction on November 29 means Surrey can continue building the best police service in the province.

“It’s been a long time coming, but I think we can see light at the end of the tunnel after almost six years of back and forth on the police transition,” said Annis. “Our local RCMP detachment deserves our thanks for their years of service. Our new SPS officers have big shoes to fill, but I know they are up for the job and the important work ahead. We get to create a big city police service from scratch, and that’s a real opportunity for our city.”

Annis said she is disappointed that the police transition “became a political football.”

“We could have saved ourselves years of uncertainty and millions in costs if we let Surrey residents have their say in a referendum, but that didn’t happen,” said Annis. “Now, we need to put all of those issues around the transition in the rear view mirror and get on with finishing the job. It’s taken longer than it should, but today’s announcement about the transition is terrific news, and all of us are looking forward to November 29 and the future of policing in our growing city.”