Members of the Surrey Police Service and law enforcement agencies across the province gathered for a change of command ceremony Tuesday afternoon.
While the SPS officially became the police of jurisdiction in late November, replacing the RCMP and ending a years-long political saga, the transition was made official with Chief Constable Norm Lipinski, and BC RCMP Commanding Officer Dwayne McDonald putting pen to paper.
Read more: Surrey Police Service officially takes over from the RCMP after years-long saga
“Safe to say it’s been a roller coaster,” Lipinski said.
“I’m really proud of my people, we’ve built something really special here,” he continued.
Lipinski said now that the political drama appears to be in the past, they’re gaining momentum in the hiring process and now have more than 500 sworn uniformed officers.
“Were a new agency and we have a clean canvas,” he said. “People want to get involved in that.”
SPS has been operating in Newton and Whalley and Lipinski says they’ll expand to South Surrey later this year.
He says they’ll need roughly 300 more officers to complete the transition, estimating they’ll need the RCMP’s assistance for two to three more years.
“We’re taking our time and doing it to hire the right people,” he said.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, who fought long and hard to keep the RCMP in town, says they’re ready to turn the page.
“We will move forward to make sure this is the best police department we can have in the City of Surrey,” she said. “I can tell you the Surrey Police Service has some very big shoes to fill.”
