Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke has lost the game, even when left to choose between a local force and the RCMP
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke described the NDP government’s decision on Surrey policing Friday as a game of political chess. It’s an apt metaphor. The only problem is, Locke doesn’t appear to realize she’s already been checkmated.
Farnworth’s recommendation might not have been binding, but his ministry did issue legal requirements on recruitment that would prevent the RCMP from pulling officers out of other B.C. detachments to get Surrey back up to full strength. Or, they can stick with the RCMP, get hit with $72 million in severance costs from the cancelled transition, and wrestle with financial instability and large tax hikes for the rest of their four-year term.
Only one vote would need to change on Surrey council for the RCMP plan to be scuttled. The vote in November, after Locke’s election victory, passed 5-4. There are already quiet rumblings that the provincial cash, logistical hurdles and voter fatigue are enough for at least one member of Locke’s team to switch their vote at a future council meeting.
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