Surrey Police Board cries foul after mayor slams ‘excessive’ $91M budget hike

The Surrey Police Board is criticizing the approach of Mayor Brenda Locke after she said this week she won’t support the provisional Surrey Police Service budget because it is “excessive” and will mean a massive property tax hike.
Locke issued the bombshell statement on Wednesday after the public release of the $331 million budget by the Surrey Police Board – an increase from the $240 million spent in 2025.
“The Board’s request includes a very significant $91-million increase over the previous year’s budget,” the mayor said. “If approved, that would represent a roughly 18 per cent property tax increase for Surrey property owners. As Mayor, I am not prepared to support this budget now as presented. It is extraordinarily excessive, and Surrey taxpayers cannot afford it.”
The police board then issued a statement saying that it understands no draft budget will receive “automatic” approval.
“We anticipated ongoing dialogue and working collaboratively with Council to review the draft budget, similar to what occurs with other municipalities and municipal police boards,” reads the statement. “Unfortunately, the Mayor appears to want to take a different approach. We hope that she and Council reconsider.”
The police board is now demanding a meeting with council.
Surrey Coun. Linda Annis, who is also running for mayor, accused Locke of “playing politics” with the budget, blaming her for transition delays and increased costs.
“The police transition is in year seven, and heading into year eight,” said Annis. “It took less time to win the Second World War, and that delay is traced right back to Brenda Locke’s decision to stop and cancel the entire transition. Once again, the mayor is doing everything she can to delay and derail, and she’s hoping to damage the reputation of our new police service along the way.”
Annis said the budge hike seems high because transition costs are also “front-end loaded for obvious reasons” because it includes things like technology, cars, and equipment.
“Surrey’s cost for policing per person is about $470,” said Annis. “In Delta it is $535 per person and over $620 per person in Vancouver.”
Key priorities in the draft budget include hiring additional sworn members, expanding civilian staff, and building technology infrastructure to support municipal policing.
Other costs included in the policing budget include converting/transferring RCMP sites and assets to SPS, and the cost of the Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit to supplement SPS’s policing strength as SPS continues to hire more employees.
Locke said the city will now be working to “scrutinize the provisional budget and work with the Board to ensure we collectively fulfill our governance responsibilities with accountability, transparency, and fiduciary prudence.”
The SPS still needs to hire an estimated 250 new officers to hit a goal of 860 to complete the transition, and is offering $25,000 bonuses to lure experience officers from other police agencies.
“Surrey taxpayers want to see action to improve public safety, and we’re prepared to make those investments,” said Locke. “But they also expect us to be prudent with public money and avoid significant tax hikes at a time when affordability remains a top priority.”