January 16, 2025
Parteek Singh Mahal
“Surrey is at a breaking point, and Mayor Brenda Locke isn’t holding back. During a recent interview on RED FM’s Harjinder Thind, Locke decried the lack of federal and provincial coordination as residents live in constant fear of ‘when’ the next violent act will occur.
With a policing budget now exceeding $250 million, the mayor faced tough questions on why results are lagging and where critical extortion-control funds have gone.
Brenda Locke admitted that the city’s escalating extortion and gang violence crisis is “out of control,” while slamming senior levels of government for failing to provide adequate resources to the “epicenter of Western Canadian crime.”
After Mayor was asked about police accountability and the use of taxpayer funds, she highlighted a growing rift between the municipal government and its provincial and federal partners.
Talking regarding recent rise in extortion incidents and shootings in Surrey, Mayor Locke did not mince words. “There is no calming of this,” she stated. “People are frightened, and rightfully so. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when (violence occurs).”
Locke expressed deep frustration with the slow pace of inter-governmental coordination. She revealed that despite a high-level meeting on November 28 involving various mayors and federal and provincial representatives, there has been “very little” follow-up.
When she was asked that Brampton, Ontario, had received federal funding to combat similar extortion issue while Surrey seemingly had not.
Locke confirmed she had spoken with Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown regarding the $1 million allocated to Peel Region, but suggested that in BC, federal funds often “sit with the provincial government” rather than flowing directly to the city. Locke said she will meet Provincial Solicitor General in an upcoming meeting to demand transparency on where that federal money is being held.
On reported $91 million increase in the police budget Locke noted that Surrey’s policing budget has ballooned from approximately $180 million in 2022 to over $250 million today. She said the number of officers has increased from 734 in 2022 to more than 900.
When pressed on why arrests haven’t been made in high-profile cases—including the recent murder of a local businessman Binder Garcha, Locke admitted that the effectiveness of the current transition and policing model “remains to be seen.”
“We are the ones feeling this on the ground every day,” Locke said, defending the city’s spending while calling on the Police Board to “step up a lot taller.”
The mayor reiterated her call for 150 specialized, highly-trained officers to be deployed to Surrey immediately. She also called for greater involvement from national agencies, specifically CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) to address threats crossing the border and insisted that national financial intelligence agencies, such as FINTRAC, must be integrated into investigations to track the money trails behind extortion threats.
As the 90-day window for a federal-provincial follow-up meeting approaches, Locke announced she would be meeting with other BC mayors to ensure a unified front. “It’s easy when you’re across the pond in Victoria or Ottawa,” she remarked. “We need to make sure the federal government understands… this is provincial and federal crime happening in our city.”
Surrey Police Service (SPS) has confirmed that last year it had 132 reported extortions, which included 49 shooting incidents. There have been 17 reported extortion cases reported in Surrey, which include four shooting incidents, since the beginning of the year.
Loading ...
