Surrey should be home to a new regional training centre, serving departments right across the Lower Mainland: Councillor Linda Annis

Surrey, B.C. (October 11, 2025): Surrey First Councillor and candidate for mayor Linda Annis says the provincial government’s recent announcement that it is increasing police training capacity at the Justice Institute from 192 to 288 officers annually is no substitute for a new training centre that can meet the growing demand for officers from Lower Mainland police departments.

“I’ve been calling for a new police training centre in Surrey for several years now, and the time has come to make it a reality,” said Annis. “The provincial government’s efforts to help meet the demand for officers by increasing the number of spaces at the Justice Institute is to be applauded, but it is not enough. They know it, and so does every police department in Metro Vancouver. There needs to be a modern police training centre with increased capacity, and I think it makes sense to put it right here in Surrey. Anything else is a temporary or band aid measure, rather than a real solution.”

Annis said the growing demand for police officers has been a significant issue over the past decade, and the creation of the Surrey Police Service has added extra pressure.

“Right across the region, the need for more officers is front-and-centre in every community,” added Annis. “The need for more officers is only going to increase, particularly in a city like Surrey where I think we really need to grow the SPS. Right now, Vancouver has about 1400 officers, Surrey has just 800. Meanwhile, our populations are virtually the same, and Surrey is as big as Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby combined. So, hiring more police definitely needs to be part of our city’s future.”