SURREY TRAFFIC CAMERAS NEED TO BE PUT TO WORK FIGHTING CRIME
When the city ended access to the cameras, when SPS took over from the RCMP, only the extortionists, shooters and gang members benefitted: Linda Annis

Surrey, B.C. (Jan. 19, 2026): Surrey First Councillor and candidate for mayor Linda Annis wants the city’s 600-plus traffic cameras put to work fighting crime, and she wants to know why police access to the cameras ended when the SPS took over from the RCMP.
“Today, Brenda Locke is bragging about the access she’s giving to the SPS now, but it turns out what police can access under Locke’s new system is no different from what the RCMP were able to access,” noted Annis, referencing a January 18 story in The Province. “With extortion shootings ripping at the fabric of our city why are we not putting those cameras to work fighting crime, giving police more and better access, and calling on the provincial and federal governments to help us add hundreds of additional cameras?”

Annis said she wants police to have immediate 24/7 real time access to the cameras, and believes criticism about privacy concerns only benefits criminals.

“Our city is being terrorized and while we have 600-plus cameras that could help us, Brenda Locke and her councillors are still shuffling paper,” said Annis. “The fact that Mayor Locke put the SPS through all kinds of applications and paperwork to access the cameras meant a critical time lag that benefited shooters, extortionists and gangs who used it to make their getaway. The fact that we’re not putting these cameras to more use than managing traffic jams just reinforces that city hall has its priorities all wrong.”