The commissioner of the RCMP across Canada provided his thoughts on the Surrey police transition on Friday.
In a sit-down interview with Global News, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the decision to move away from the Surrey RCMP was “purely political.”
“Understanding that the RCMP has a contract with Surrey, and we are abiding that contact, we will maintain it throughout the transition … when you look at a municipality that no longer wants the RCMP — its a purely political decision,” Duheme said.
“If a community doesn’t want the RCMP, we will work with them, present them all the information they need to make an informed decision.”
Duheme continued, “In Surrey, this is between the municipality and the province to decide. We are looking forward to see a transition plan so we can start planning accordingly but as it stands right now, the RCMP is fully engaged in Surrey and will continue to provide the professional service as we’ve been doing for numerous years.”
Duheme said he has not seen a transition plan.
The B.C. RCMP’s Commanding Officer Dwayne McDonald spoke with Global News regarding the Surrey police transition as well.
He said the transition is “incredibly complex” and due to the size of the Surrey RCMP detachment, it is not an easy process.
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“A lot of work has been done in the past, but a lot of work was paused as a result of the municipal election, “ McDonald said. “I think you need, and we do have, all levels of government sitting down to restart the process of, ‘how to plan a transition.’ This is not going to be a quick process. Work is underway at all levels and each party has to do their own planning and work but ultimately we all have to come together to make this work.”
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When asked if the transition will come to fruition in reality, as both the province and Surrey’s mayor continue to barb at each other, McDonald said that would be a question for policymakers and elected officials.
“The decision, whether it happens or doesn’t happen, is a political decision. It is not something for the RCMP to comment on. I will say our commitment is to the City of Surrey as long as our commitment is in place,” he said.
“We will leave the other decisions to the politicians.”
In early September, more criticism arose from the pace of the transition.
In a progress report on the process, Surrey municipal staff claimed there is “no clear plan or any supporting documents in place” to carry out provincial instructions to phase out the RCMP and bring the fledgling SPS into full force.
Among the missing items, according to staff — a joint human resources plan to guide deployments and demobilization, confirmed plans for asset sharing and transfer of files between forces, legal frameworks that would support the RCMP working under the command of a municipal police department, and more.
The cost of maintaining both police departments in Surrey is an estimated $8 million per month.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth ordered the city to phase out the RCMP in July. He has also refuted the claim there there is “no plan” in place to move forward with the SPS and said he expects work on the file to pick up that the summer has passed. A “significant amount of work” is already underway, he added.
“There’s a trilateral table in place involving both the city, the province and the RCMP on moving forward with the transition,” Farnworth said in an interview. “You’re still looking at probably 18 months to two years for the full transition to take place. As I said, this is complex.”
Back to the national RCMP commissioner, a big talking point in recent years in B.C. is police officers attending calls for mental health-related incidents without professional health-care providers. The RCMP commissioner said more health care providers need to accompany Mounties to address these types of situations.
“We need a much larger approach than just law enforcement. Law enforcement is not the solution for all mental health cases — we should have professional practitioners that are assisting (officers) or phone lines people can call when they are in distress,“ Duheme said.
He also spoke about the RCMP’s recruiting and how policy changes will hopefully fast-track more RCMP members into Canadian communities.
Duheme is in B.C. after attending the funeral and memorial service for fallen RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien.
O’Brien was fatally shot on Sept. 22 while police were executing a search warrant at a home in Coquitlam in relation to a drug investigation.
A 25-year-old Coquitlam man has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder with a firearm in connection with O’Brien’s death.
Homicide investigators announced Nicholas Bellemare has been charged and remains in custody.
— With files from Elizabeth McSheffrey
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