On October 21, 2021, the first Surrey Police Service (SPS) class of experienced officers graduated from SPS’s comprehensive training program, which prepares them for deployment into police operations in this November (see previous news release). The second group of officers began their training on October 18, 2021.

Although these are all experienced police officers, SPS believes it is important to provide its officers with updated operational skills training and information on Surrey’s communities and public safety concerns, prior to responding to calls for service.

“SPS is committed to continued and on-going training for all its staff. Our objective is to better ourselves and to always be prepared to learn,” says Superintendent Lav Mangat. “We believe this commitment to learning and training creates a supportive work environment for our staff and an exceptional police service for the citizens of Surrey.”

The multi-week training course includes all the necessary provincial qualifications and recertifications for use of force and firearms, as well as Emergency Vehicle Operation, Trauma Informed Practice, High Risk Arrests, and Incident Command. All SPS officers will also be trained in Integrated Communication, Assessment and Tactics (ICAT) which focuses on de-escalating people in crisis. This training is in addition to the mandatory Crisis Intervention and De-escalation (CID) training.

In order to familiarize officers with Surrey’s specific policing needs, SPS includes expertise from a number of community organizations in its training, including Phoenix Society, Pacific Autism Family Network, Surrey Anti-Gang Family Empowerment (SAFE) Program – Community Safety Section, Progressive Intercultural Community Services, Pacific Community Resources Society, Virgil Awasis – Indigenous Community Advocate, Semiahmoo First Nation, and Gurdwara Sahib Brookside. Collaborations such as these strengthen our connections to community and ensure that our officers receive the best training from the best sources.

Some of SPS’s operational training utilizes a state-of-the-art mobile training structure that allows our officers to participate in a variety of scenario-based training situations. SPS is the first BC police agency to have its own full deployment mobile structure for training.

A phased, integrated transition has been agreed upon by the Surrey Policing Transition Trilateral Committee (SPTTC) and will be implemented with the first 50 SPS officers assuming operational policing duties on or before November 30, 2021. These officers will be assigned to positions within the RCMP Municipal Police Unit in Surrey. Learn more about Surrey’s policing transition at www.surreypolice.ca/about/policing-transition. As of October 18, 2021, Surrey Police Service has hired 138 police officers.