National Police Federation Say Explosive New Sworn Affidavit Against Doug Paaji’s Man Exposes Sham Police Chief Search And Raises Concerns About Role Of Surrey Police Board!

The City of Surrey’s police force transition costs could nearly double if an assumption – that the new municipal department can use the RCMP’s information technology (IT) network – fails, according to estimates provided by a top expert at Canada’s digital services agency. Back in June, Surrey councillor Jack Hundial has posed the question, “What if this assumption is wrong?” Well the answer to that question may now be that in fact it was a wrong assumption as sources tell DESIBUZZCanada that the federal agency Shared Services Canada has decided that it will not be sharing the IT network, which will mean millions in extra spending to operate Surrey police.

By PD Raj – Senior Writer DESIBUZZCanada

SURREY – Surrey mayor Doug McCallum is facing more headwaters with his pet Surrey police project with costs set to balloon even further after DESIBUZZCanada learned that the federal government and the RCMP will not be providing the new proposed Surrey police the Shared Services it needs to keep it’s Information Technology (IT) Network costs down.

The City of Surrey’s police force transition costs could nearly double if an assumption – that the new municipal department can use the RCMP’s information technology (IT) network – fails, according to estimates provided by a top expert at Canada’s digital services agency, Glacier Media reported back in June.

The city’s planned two-year transition is estimated to cost $39 million, but that sum is based on the assumption its new municipal force will temporarily or permanently share an IT network with the banished RCMP, via the federal agency Shared Services Canada (SSC), and do so for only $7.5 million.

 “The Surrey PD could contract back the same IT infrastructure and support that the Surrey RCMP currently benefits from,” states the June 2019 Surrey Policing Transition Plan authored by City of Vancouver, City of Surrey, Vancouver Police Department and Simon Fraser University professor Curt Griffiths, reported Glacier Media.

“It is assumed that, for the purposes of the transition, the Surrey PD will replace certain IT systems and overlay these new Surrey PD systems with the existing critical IT infrastructure at RCMP ‘E’ Division,” stated the report.

Such an option could be permanent, but it would be dependent on negotiations with the RCMP, according to the report.

“Depending on the best overall value for the Surrey PD and the RCMP’s willingness to remain a long-term law enforcement partner to the Surrey PD, the IT services provided by RCMP ‘E’ Division on a contractual basis could also remain in place indefinitely.”

Back in June, Surrey councillor Jack Hundial has posed the question, “What if this assumption is wrong?”

Well the answer to that question may now be that in fact it was a wrong assumption as sources tell DESIBUZZCanada that the federal agency Shared Services Canada has decided that it will not be sharing the IT network, which will mean millions in extra spending to operate Surrey police.

 “In my opinion, the RCMP, they don’t want to be in the brokerage business. So if Shared Services is going to be provisioning services and the RCMP is brokering that on behalf of the RCMP – RCMP doesn’t own all its services … so when you’re in the middle it’s a real no-win situation because if anything goes wrong they’re going to blame the RCMP,” Mike Jaswal, senior technical advisor for Shared Services Canada and former RCMP member, told Glacier Media back in June.

Jaswal, an expert on police IT systems, estimates a new SPD IT system, or Option B, would cost about $37 million to $40 million – that’s up to $32.5 million more than Option A and nearly as much as the $39 million transition cost estimate outlined in the plan. However, the transition plan estimates Option B would cost up to $27 million to replace the Surrey RCMP’s IT infrastructure and systems and install completely new ones. The plan states this is a “top end” estimate, and that phasing in replacement of IT infrastructure over additional years can save money. The city has factored in a $6 million total contingency.

“If you look at the network, the servers and the applications and expanding that out, they’re saying $27 million – that’s nothing,” said Jaswal.

Meanwhile, Brian Sauvé, President of the National Police Federation (NPF) which has been pushing for transparency on Surrey Police costs, said the explosive allegations about the proposed Surrey Police Service made in a sworn affidavit against a businessman close to McCallum, exposes the sham Surrey police transition process.

“The National Police Federation has been ringing the alarm bell for months about the sham process to hire a Chief Constable in Surrey,” said Sauve.

“This new sworn affidavit being reported in the media includes new and disturbing evidence that Surrey has not taken appropriate or thorough steps to prepare for this transition, and that this process is being run directly by the Mayor and his political friends.

“This new affidavit raises serious concerns about the role of the Surrey Police Board, including whether the new Chief Constable is being selected by the Board, or whether the decision was pre-determined by the Mayor and political allies close to him.

“Surrey ran a two-week national recruitment application period for this important and most senior position, which is woefully inadequate when compared to the process in other major urban centres in Canada and the United States.”

Councillor Linda Annis also wants to know if claims that the “fix is in” are true when it comes to the selection of a chief for the mayor’s proposed Surrey Police Service.

 “The BC Liberals claim in a news release today that the future chief has been “pre-selected”, something, that if true, makes a mockery of the hiring process which has been incredibly short and without any transparency or community consultation. If it’s true then it only serves to reinforce the secrecy surrounding the creation of the force and why the transition should be paused and a referendum called,” Annis said.

Annis wants “absolute assurance” from the mayor and the newly-created police board that the hiring process isn’t a sham.

 “From day one Surrey voters have had absolutely no say in anything to do with the creation of the mayor’s police force. As a result there is overwhelming support for a referendum where each of us in Surrey can have a real voice and the final say on who will police our growing city,” added Annis. “Too much about this proposed police department has been done in secret and without public input. It looks like the hiring process for a chief is turning out the same way, which makes voting for provincial election candidates who support a referendum so important.”

Critics of Surrey’s police transition renewed calls to put the process on hold last week after explosive allegations made by former Surrey council candidate just as the Surrey police board is in the process of selecting the city’s first police chief as it moves to replace the RCMP detachment.

The allegation are contained in an affidavit filed by former council candidate Brian Young in response to a defamation lawsuit launched against him by developer Bob Cheema.

 “(The affidavit)includes new and disturbing evidence … that this process is being run directly by the mayor and his political friends,” said Sauvé, who represents RCMP officers,  questioning whether the new chief would be selected by the police board “or whether the decision was predetermined by the mayor and political allies close to him,” Sauve told the Vancouver Sun.