Our traffic cameras need to become public safety cameras, with more and easier access for the SPS to investigate and deter crime: Councillor Linda Annis

Surrey, B.C. (January 5, 2026): Surrey First councillor and candidate for mayor Linda Annis wants to provide the Surrey Police Service with “more and easier access” to the city’s 500 traffic cameras as another tool to fight crime, particularly the ongoing extortion cases and their related shootings.

“Right now, the SPS only has access to the city’s cameras after making a formal request to City Hall, which means by the time the whole approval process is completed, the criminals are long gone and any real value is limited,” said Annis. “At the same time, those traffic cameras are not monitored 24/7, something we need to change if we want to put that technology to work so that it can help us fight crime. It makes sense to operate and monitor those 500 cameras 24/7 and have a police officer as part of that monitoring team. Those cameras can do a lot more than just monitor traffic jams, and we need that sort of help right away. At the same time, I want us to ask the provincial government to help fund more public safety cameras.”

Annis said the city has limited police access to the cameras citing privacy concerns, but she believes we need to think out of the box when it comes to public safety and put the cameras to work fighting crime.

“In London, there are almost one million CCTV cameras including public and private cameras that monitor streets, homes, businesses, and transportation,” noted Annis. “The average Londoner is on camera about 70 times per day, but the value to public safety is incredible.”

Annis said giving the SPS realtime access to the city’s cameras would go a long way to putting existing technology to work that can help make Surrey safer.

“Currently, the SPS Public Safety Camera program uses trailers that serve as temporary and mobile video surveillance and are restricted from recording inside homes or anywhere there is a reasonable expectation of privacy,” noted Annis. “Stepping up our use of technology and making better use of our 500 existing cameras just makes good sense, particularly as we’re looking for as much help as possible when it comes to stopping the extortion shootings. Realtime surveillance will help our police, and our community.”