Surrey’s top cop to ask council for ‘significant’ staff increase

Surrey’s top cop says he needs more officers to police the city.

In fact, he said he could use a “significant increase.”

Dwayne McDonald says Surrey RCMP has 835 regular members, with 58 seconded to integrated teams, leaving a total strength of 777.

Now, he’s going to council asking for more.

“How many should we have? I can’t tell you other than to say that we could use a significant increase in our department to address the issues that are coming, but to also enhance our public safety strategies,” he said.

“I know when we compare around the lower mainland district, seemingly they do have several more officers.”

The Vancouver Police Department, for example, has just over 1,400 members.

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McDonald also said only 4.4 per cent of his force is off on some type of leave.

Meanwhile, he also said he’s heard the concerns expressed at last week’s anti-gang rally, which followed the murders of two teenage boys in Campbell Heights.

“It’s a starting point for conversation where we can move forward. Certainly we’re interested in partnering with a lot of the individuals and groups that showed up,” he said.

“We are expanding our Surrey gang enforcement team. We will be looking at an inadmissible patrons program to make Surrey uncomfortable to engage in crime.”

McDonald says the slayings struck at his core, not only as a police officer, but as a father.

“I think it’s a stark and somber reminder [of] what can happen when things go bad.”

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Part of the reason McDonald is seeking more officers is to work towards a program that will make it “uncomfortable to engage in crime” in the city.

He said there are currently 15 youth programs run by the RCMP in the city, and more are coming.

“We do have an adequate number, but we are always looking to expand our programming and we will be expanding our programming so we can reach more and more kids.”

With 22 ‘shots fired’ incidents so far in Surrey this year, McDonald says he understands the fear of an innocent bystander getting hit in the crossfire.

“It is very rare, although it does happen occasionally — that an innocent person is caught up in this type of violence.”