Season’s Greetings from the Surrey RCMP

Season’s Greetings from the Surrey RCMP

While 2020 has not been the year any of us envisioned, it has certainly been an opportunity for all of us to put our adaptability and resiliency to the test.

Like all organizations, the Surrey RCMP had to adapt its operations due to the pandemic. In March, we created the COVID-19 Compliance & Enforcement Team (CCET) with Surrey Bylaws to help businesses and residents understand the public health orders and their responsibilities. Over the past nine months, this team has checked thousands of businesses, faith-based organizations, and public spaces. While enforcement is an option, the CCET focuses on education and voluntary compliance with health orders. This approach has proven successful with less than one percent found to be non-compliant.

We also continue to adapt as the City of Surrey works to transition their policing from the RCMP to a new municipal police force. There is no doubt that this process has been challenging for the police officers and support staff who work at Surrey detachment. However, for the past two years, they have continued to do their jobs with professionalism, integrity and compassion, while working under a cloud of uncertainty for their personal and professional futures. I am proud to lead such a dedicated group of individuals. To the residents of Surrey, please feel confident that your safety remains our top priority as we move through this process.

Despite the challenges we have faced this year, we have worked with the community to successfully drive crime down. At end of the third quarter, overall Criminal Code offences were down 11%, violent crime was down 6%, and property crime had decreased by 13%. As of today, shots fired incidents are also down (-27%), as are homicides (-47%).

In closing, I will leave you with a short story from the early days of my policing career, which reminds me that the challenges we face do not need to define our lives.

Years ago I attended a call for service in a remote rural area, just before Christmas. It was a country property with a full layer of snow, and the residence was old and in need of repair. To say that life hadn’t been generous to the elderly fellow that lived there and needed our assistance would be an understatement. His one-room home was quite dark but he had set up a single string of lights and small Christmas tree around his wood burning fireplace. He proudly pointed out his humble decorations. Unbelievably, he had transformed the old house into a warm, inviting, peaceful place.

To this day, my experience that one night made clear to me that it wasn’t what we have or possess that’s important, it’s how we cherish what we do have. My hope is that we can all use this special time of year to remind ourselves of what is truly important in our lives.

On behalf of all of us at Surrey Detachment, I wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season.

Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards
Officer in Charge, Surrey RCMP

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