Surrey cop fired for loose lips with surveillance info to known criminal

A Surrey Police Service officer was fired for giving confidential information to a known criminal, just one of several disciplinary results against local cops, according to the annual report by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.

The report does not name any of the officers who were disciplined. In the firing case, a finding of discreditable conduct was made based on incidents in late 2022.

“The member provided an individual, who the member knew to be involved in criminal activity, with information regarding counter surveillance techniques to defeat police surveillance methods,” said the report.

The investigation led the OPCC to find the offences to be “egregious.”

“In arriving at the appropriate disciplinary or corrective measures, the Discipline Authority determined that the member’s actions were ‘extremely serious’ and at conflict with the department’s core values,” said the report. “The Discipline Authority further noted that the member’s actions were ‘particularly egregious’ as the member provided information to an individual who was actively under surveillance for serious criminal offences involving the exploitation of vulnerable and marginalized persons, and such information was provided to ‘thwart an active criminal investigation.’”

Others disciplined: In all, 10 SPS officers were cited as part of different offences, with disciplinary measures ranging from verbal and written reprimands to suspensions.

Cop drove while impaired: One SPS officer was suspended without pay for seven-and-a-half days for driving while impaired and without a valid driver’s licence.

“The member was also driving with an expired driver’s license and identified themselves as a police officer to the investigating DPD member while making numerous requests to be released with a warning only,” the report said.

“The Commissioner noted that the members’ conduct included driving in a significant state of impairment and making repeated and direct requests for preferential treatment,” the report said.

A written reprimand was also given to an officer who booked off sick time to leave for a vacation.

“The Surrey Police Service (SPS) initiated an internal discipline investigation into the conduct of an SPS member,” said the report. “It was alleged that the member had requested to book sick leave for the day prior to their pre-planned vacation, due to a medical appointment, but was denied approval. The member attended the medical appointment and subsequently notified their employer that they were too sick to attend work after taking medication. A few hours later, the member was seen in an airport lounge prior to boarding a flight at a time that they were scheduled to be working.”