The Surrey Police Service is less than three weeks away from taking over from the RCMP to manage policing in B.C.’s second-most populous municipality, but there is still no formal agreement on how responsibilities will be distributed between the two forces.

On November 29, the municipal service became the competent police force in Surrey, while the Mounties took on what was expected to be a supporting role for years.

SPS chief Norm Lipinski said he wasn’t worried about the lack of an agreement, which he hopes to sign “within a few days.”

“We’re putting these things together to get to a place where public safety will not be compromised in Surrey. I’m very, very confident about that. … There’s enough overlap, there’s enough people, there’s enough d “equipment,” he said.

The head of the RCMP union says members are anxious being so close to the handover without a clear idea of ​​what their job will look like.

Brian Sauvé, president of the National Police Federation, says members have not been informed of what will happen on November 29 and that, since each police service has its own policies and procedures, there could be difficulties.

“I think in general, (people are feeling) anxious, unsure, worried, they’re in knots in their stomachs, if you will. Mainly because no one knows what’s going on,” he said.

While policing in Surrey is managed by the RCMP, SPS officers have worked alongside them since 2021 while a transition dispute played in municipal and provincial politics.

That conflict ended this year with the announcement of the November 29 transition date, but laws that prevent mounted police from responding to municipal police complicate the transfer of power, requiring a new agreement on responsibilities.

Lipinski won’t go into detail about the current agreement, but says the two forces essentially divide Surrey geographically, with the RCMP responsible for some areas and the Surrey Police Service responsible for others.

“We’ll start with the geography and some areas, and they’ll start with their geography. Then as we build and shrink, we take over more of their geography. We have a plan for that. It’s totally logical,” he said.

Lipinski said the SPS has 455 members and will need 785 to completely take over from the RCMP. He said he expects it will take another two to three years for the force to be fully operational.

“It’s like building a house.”

Sauvé said that legally, the RCMP cannot work under the direction of a municipal police force, a situation commonly referred to as “red under blue,” which is why reaching agreement on responsibilities is so important.

He said there would be “no shame” if the November 29 deadline was pushed back to give both sides more time.

“What will November 30 look like? I think the city of Surrey will be safe. The RCMP members will do their job,” he said.

“What it looks like, and the details of what it looks like, obviously, I’m very, very curious to see the details. And it’s been disappointing compared to everything that’s been given to us,” he said. he declared.

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Lipinski said he is confident things will be ready for November 29.

He said, “there is nothing very onerous about having two chains of command,” and while there may be “unforeseen circumstances,” he is optimistic that both sides will be able to overcome them.

“There will be no risk to public safety and there will be business continuity as we move forward and evolve.” And, of course, there will be things you have to do afterwards because you didn’t have time to do them. before,” he said.

“It’s like building a house, and sometimes you move in and you have to do some of the other stuff, like painting and stuff. But it’s there. The structure is there and we’re ready to go.”