The British Columbia government's director of policing has formally denied a request from Surrey Police Chief Constable Norm Lipinski for a four-month extension to complete the transition into the Cloverdale neighborhood. This decision comes despite Chief Lipinski's argument that the city's escalating extortion crisis has created unprecedented demands on police resources, necessitating the delay.
Extortion Crisis Strains Police Resources
Chief Lipinski stated on Wednesday that he requested the extension primarily due to Surrey's ongoing extortion spree, which has impacted the police force in what he described as an "unprecedented" manner. More than 40 officers have been redeployed to specialized extortion investigation teams, significantly affecting staffing capacity for other operations.
"While this work is critical to protecting our community, it has significantly impacted our staffing capacity," Lipinski emphasized. "My responsibility as chief is to ensure that any transition occurs with the staffing levels necessary to meet community expectations and maintain public safety — particularly while significant investigative resources remain dedicated to the extortion files."
Provincial Directive Stands Firm
Despite these challenges, Glen Lewis, the province's director of policing, informed the Surrey Police Service that they are still expected to police all of Cloverdale by April 1 as originally planned. The Surrey Police Service was designated jurisdiction of the city in November 2024 and has since taken over policing operations in several neighborhoods of British Columbia's second-largest city.
The transition timeline has been progressing through various phases:
- First policing the Whalley and Newton neighborhoods
- Taking over South Surrey in 2025
- Scheduled to begin phasing into Cloverdale in April
- Originally forecast to police all of Cloverdale by July with 70 officers
Controversial Policing Transition
Surrey's policing transition has been a contentious issue for years. The move to establish a municipal police department was approved under former mayor Doug McCallum but became a central campaign issue in the 2022 municipal election. Current mayor Brenda Locke campaigned and won on her promise to halt the transition away from the federal RCMP, but the B.C. government ultimately forced the city to proceed with establishing its own police service.
The provincial government has agreed to help fund transition costs, providing $250 million to the city to support the establishment of the new police service. As of November 2025, Surrey Police reported having 583 sworn officers, working toward their stated goal of 860 by the end of the transition period, which is projected to conclude in 2027.
Ongoing Discussions and Future Updates
Chief Lipinski indicated that discussions with various stakeholders continue despite the provincial denial of the extension request. "Discussions with the province, the Surrey Police Board, our unions, and legal counsel are ongoing. I will be able to provide an update once these discussions are concluded," he stated.
Following the completion of the Cloverdale transition, RCMP officers would still maintain a presence in the Guildford area, creating a mixed policing environment during the extended transition period. The denial of the extension request highlights the tension between local operational challenges and provincial transition timelines in British Columbia's most significant municipal policing overhaul in recent years.
