What a week in Surrey’s policing transition, which is sure to provide post-secondary lecture room fodder for years to come as a casebook study of how not to engage in a major public move to swap out one police force for another.
This story has had more legs than a millipede.
But is it still in the rising action stage, nearing its climax, far away from a denouement?
As far as stories go, War and Peace it is not. More like War and War.
Despite all of its fascinating twists, political intrigue and chapters covering public “engagement,” denied referendums, political infighting, anger, upset, fear-mongering and now “sledgehammer” amendments to the Police Act amid a petition for a judicial review, let’s face it, it could have used plenty of editing.
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The guy who started it all, former and no longer mayor Doug McCallum, issued a press release on Monday hailing an “historic victory for Surrey” after Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth introduced amendments to the Police Act in a dramatic bid to bring Surrey council to heel and break its will to champion the Surrey RCMP over the Surrey Police Service.
But would the city be in the astonishing financial mess and acrimony it is today had McCallum’s administration made a better effort to put transparency to the transition rather than fuel confusion and mistrust?
Yes, it’s definitely been a page-turner alright. An epic that will reverberate for years to come, in Surrey residents’ psyches and pocket books.
Probably the only take-away, when the last page is finally turned, will be the universal hope that there will never, ever be a sequel.
– Now-Leader