Councillor Linda Annis, who’s been vocal about her concerns, says she’s disappointed in the continued lack of public consultation. However, despite her disappointment, Annis notes she’s hopeful celebrated Judge Wally Oppal and the new task force will “include a referendum as part of the overall transition process.”

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

SURREY – Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth gave the green light Thursday to Surrey’s much maligned new city police force, granting Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum and his supporters their wish to have Surrey’s own police force at an added expense and less safety, according to a growing number of critics of the police force

The NDP saw that the loudest voices for a Surrey police force is in the South Asian dominated areas of Surrey where they hold practically all provincial seats and they are looking to secure that support for an expected early provincial election next year.

In the press release sent to media, there was no timeline given as to when the force will be up and running but it said: “To ensure all key issues are addressed and all complex details are in place to facilitate an orderly transition, a joint project team has been struck.”

The joint transition committee will be chaired by the former Minister and celebrated Judge Wally Oppal. The committee under Oppal’s guidance will work expeditiously to provide advice to the Director of Police Services through to the Solicitor General relating to the establishment of Surrey’s municipal police department.

The City of Surrey has been pushing for its own police force, instead of being under RCMP jurisdiction, but required provincial government approval to move forward.

Talks of a police transition have been the centre of much debate in Surrey for months. Scrapping the RCMP for a municipal force was one of Mayor Doug McCallum’s campaign promises in last year’s civic election.

Councillor Linda Annis, who’s been vocal about her concerns, says she’s disappointed in the continued lack of public consultation.

“It has always been important to me that the residents of Surrey have an act and say in policing for Surrey, and whether it’s a transition or not,” she told NEWS 1130. “And I’m quite disappointed at this point in time that that has not occurred.”

However, despite her disappointment, Annis notes she’s hopeful Oppal and the new task force will “include a referendum as part of the overall transition process.”

“I think it’s very important that the residents of Surrey get a better police force, not just changing the badges for the sake of changing the badges,” Annis said. “They deserve better than that, and we deserve more officers.”

She has been the only Surrey First Councillor who has been vocal about the lack of public consultation on a new force.

Annis was among the four city councillors left off of McCallum’s transition committee who issued a joint statement last month to express concern about the transition plan.

Along with councillors Jack Hundial, Steven Pettigrew, and Brenda Locke, Annis’ concerns also included what they called the mayor’s “artificial deadline for the transition,” a lack of engagement with the community on the proposed transition, the “rushed nature” of the plan, numbers which suggest a municipal police force would mean fewer officers on the ground, as well as “no clear indication of the capital cost of this transition.”

Surrey’s police transition report was handed over the province for review in May.