Surrey Police Service takes over last RCMP neighbourhoods as new council votes on police commitments
The RCMP is completing its withdrawal from Cloverdale and Guildford this month, leaving the Surrey Police Service 133 officers short of its 860-member target as a new council prepares to vote on a helicopter fleet and more officers.
Long read. The subject the most local outlets covered that day, with the public record behind it. Every outlet and record is linked under the story. Read the original report on surreycitizen.com.
The RCMP is completing its withdrawal from Surrey this month, pulling out of Cloverdale and Guildford, the last two neighbourhoods it still serves. The Surrey Police Service has 727 sworn officers as of October 2026, which is 133 short of the 860 the City originally said it needed to complete the transition. The new Surrey City Council meets for the first time on November 9 and is scheduled to vote on commitments that include a police helicopter and drone fleet within 90 days, and to appoint a councillor to the Surrey Police Board.
Where the RCMP transition stands
The Surrey Police Service became the city's police of jurisdiction on November 29, 2024. RCMP officers in a provincial support unit have remained in Cloverdale and Guildford through the transition, covering the final two neighbourhoods. Surrey Citizen reported this week that the RCMP will withdraw from those areas this November.
As recently as November 2025, the RCMP and the SPS were still disagreeing about when the SPS would have enough officers to take over, Surrey Citizen said. The SPS had set 860 sworn members as its target for a full transition. As of October 2026, the force has 727 sworn officers: 33 senior officers, 25 staff sergeants, 110 sergeants, 470 constables and 90 recruits, according to the SPS's own organizational structure page.
The 2026 provisional budget, published by the Surrey Police Board in December 2025, set an intermediate target of 808 sworn members by end of 2026. That is 94 percent of the 860-member end goal. At 727, the SPS is 81 of that interim target, with the RCMP withdrawing in the same month.
How the province forced the transition
The transition has a complicated history. For two years, 2022 to 2024, then-mayor Brenda Locke tried to cancel the Surrey Police Service and return to the RCMP. The provincial government intervened in 2024, directed the City to continue with the SPS, and committed $250 million over 10 years to support the transition.
The 2026 budget set the SPS's total operating budget at $284.5 million, with $168.58 million going to sworn member salaries. The budget also included $24.95 million for the RCMP's provincial support unit in 2026, down from $32.91 million in 2025 as the RCMP's presence in Surrey shrinks.
To fill the 860-member target faster, the SPS offered signing bonuses to experienced officers from other forces. Surrey Citizen reported the bonus was up to $25,000 plus up to $10,000 for relocation in July 2025. In March 2026 the SPS raised the signing bonus to $30,000 and ran an advertising campaign.
The Surrey Police Board's last public meeting was October 22. Surrey Citizen said the board did not address the RCMP withdrawal or the officer shortfall at that meeting, and the board has not responded to the outlet's questions about how the SPS plans to cover the city with fewer officers than originally planned.
Elford expected on the police board
The November 9 agenda includes a Clerk's Report item: appointing one councillor to the Surrey Police Board for a four-year term ending October 31, 2030. The seat was previously held by Rob Stutt of Surrey Connect, who was not re-elected in the October 2026 election.
North Delta Reporter and Surrey Now-Leader reported that Councillor Doug Elford of the Safe Surrey Coalition is expected to receive that appointment. Elford declined to comment before the official vote. "It's not official yet," he told the Now-Leader. "I'm not really commenting until it happens."
Newly elected Councillor Cheney Cloke also has a history with the board: she served as its vice-chairwoman until her term expired at the end of 2022.
The Surrey Police Board's next regular meeting after the November 9 appointment is set for Wednesday, November 18.
McCallum's police promises go to a vote November 9
Two of the 15 election commitments Mayor Doug McCallum plans to put to a council vote on November 9 concern the Surrey Police Service. The first is a helicopter and a fleet of drones for the SPS within 90 days of taking office. The second is deploying more officers with a zero-tolerance policy on crime and extortion.
McCallum pledged in the Surrey Now-Leader during the campaign: "Within 90 days of taking office, a police helicopter and a fleet of drones will be over Surrey." The 90-day deadline from the November 2 swearing-in would fall on January 31, 2027. Both commitments are on the Surrey promise tracker.
The Link Newspaper reported that at the November 2 inauguration, McCallum said: "The people of Surrey did not elect this Council to study things. They elected us to get things done, and that work starts at our first meeting."
What residents can do
The November 9 council meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Surrey City Hall and is open to the public. It will be livestreamed at surrey.ca. That meeting is when the council is scheduled to vote on the helicopter fleet, the crime commitments, and the police board appointment. Anyone who wants to watch those votes can attend in person or follow the stream. The Surrey promise tracker will record how each commitment progresses through the term.
Questions this story answers
When is the RCMP completing its withdrawal from Surrey?
This November, according to Surrey Citizen. Cloverdale and Guildford are the last two neighbourhoods where the RCMP is still operating. The Surrey Police Service became the police of jurisdiction for the city on November 29, 2024, but RCMP officers in a support unit have remained in those two areas through the transition.
How many sworn officers does the Surrey Police Service have right now?
The Surrey Police Service's organizational structure page, updated in October 2026, lists 727 sworn officers: 33 senior officers, 25 staff sergeants, 110 sergeants, 470 constables and 90 recruits. The City's original transition plan said 860 sworn members were needed to complete the handover. The 2026 provisional budget set an interim target of 808 by end of 2026.
How much is the province paying toward the Surrey police transition?
In 2024 the provincial government committed $250 million over 10 years to help complete the transition. That commitment came after two years during which the previous mayor, Brenda Locke, attempted to cancel the transition and return to the RCMP. The province intervened in 2024 and directed the City to continue with the Surrey Police Service.
What will Surrey council decide about the police board on November 9?
The November 9 council meeting agenda includes an item in the Clerk's Report: appointing one councillor to the Surrey Police Board for a four-year term ending October 31, 2030. North Delta Reporter and Surrey Now-Leader reported that Councillor Doug Elford is expected to receive that appointment, though Elford told the Now-Leader he would not comment before the official vote.
What are Mayor McCallum's police commitments that go to a vote November 9?
Among the 15 election commitments the council plans to vote on at its November 9 first regular meeting, two concern the Surrey Police Service directly: equipping the SPS with a helicopter and a fleet of drones within 90 days of taking office, and deploying more officers with a zero-tolerance policy on crime and extortion. Both are on the McCallum tracker at /bc/surrey-2026/tracker.
What is Doug Elford's role on the police board, and when does the board next meet?
The council appoints one of its members to the seven-person Surrey Police Board to represent council. Elford, a Safe Surrey Coalition councillor, is expected to take the seat previously held by Rob Stutt of Surrey Connect, who was not re-elected on October 17. The Surrey Police Board's next meeting after the appointment is set for Wednesday, November 18.
How did the SPS recruit officers during the shortfall?
The Surrey Citizen reported that the SPS offered signing bonuses to experienced officers to accelerate recruiting. In July 2025 the bonus was up to $25,000 plus up to $10,000 in relocation for officers not living in Metro Vancouver. In March 2026 the SPS raised the signing bonus to $30,000 and ran an advertising campaign. The 2026 budget allocated $168.58 million for sworn member salaries.
Why did the RCMP and SPS disagree about the transition timeline?
Surrey Citizen reported that as recently as November 2025, the RCMP and the Surrey Police Service were still disagreeing about when the SPS would have enough officers to take over. The SPS had said 860 officers were needed. With 727 sworn members as of October 2026, the city is completing the final withdrawal while still 133 officers short of that original target. The province's 2024 decision forced the transition forward regardless.
Where can Surrey residents follow the police transition and the November 9 council meeting?
The November 9 council meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers at Surrey City Hall and is open to the public. The City says it will be livestreamed at surrey.ca. The council's police commitments, including the helicopter fleet and more officers, are on the Surrey promise tracker at /bc/surrey-2026/tracker, which will be updated as council acts on each one.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- Surrey Citizen: RCMP to withdraw from Surrey, Police Board silent on transition, November 5, 2026surreycitizen.com
- North Delta Reporter: Doug Elford to serve on Surrey Police Board, November 6, 2026northdeltareporter.com
- Surrey Police Service: Organizational structure (October 2026)surreypolice.ca
- Surrey Police Service: 2026 Provisional Budget (Surrey Police Board, December 2025)surrey.ca
- City of Surrey: November 9 council meeting agendasurrey.ca
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