Police in Surrey, B.C., denied request to delay next step in transition plan: chief

SURREY — The chief of the Surrey Police Service says his force, which has been swamped with extortion cases, has been denied by the B.C. government its request to delay the transition from the RCMP.

Chief Norm Lipinski says in a statement that his officers had originally planned for a “staged transition” of the Cloverdale region, taking over policing on the south side in April and the north side in July.

Lipinski says he asked four a four-month delay of the transition, in part due to staffing concerns caused by the “unprecedented extortion crisis” that has required officers’ time.

The chief says he was instead told the police service would assume responsibility for all of Cloverdale on April 1.

Lipinski says discussions with the province, the Surrey Police Board, police unions, and legal counsel are ongoing.

Earlier this month the Surrey Police Service said it has been investigating 46 extortion incidents so far this year, while a police task force focused on extortion said it has 32 active files across the Lower Mainland as of January.

The conflict comes as the Ministry of Public Safety unveiled the members of a provincial community advisory group on extortion, which is being chaired by former Mountie Paul Dadwal.

The group is made up of former public safety minister Garry Begg, retired judge Wally Oppal, RCMP officer Baltej Dhillon, Ninu Kang, the executive director of the Ending Violence Association of BC, and business owner Harp Khela.

A statement from the ministry says the group will connect with business and community leaders and victims’ advocates to understand their concerns and any challenges that need to be communicated to law enforcement and government officials.

It says they will provide “strategic recommendations” to ensure that messages are being received by the community.

The Surrey Police Service began taking over policing from the RCMP at the end of 2024 with the plan to progressively take over geographic regions over several years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2026

The Canadian Press