SURREY — The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP is closing its Newton office and transferring its operation to headquarters in Ottawa.
The commission is an independent agency created by Parliament and is not part of the RCMP. Its purpose is to make sure public complaints concerning RCMP conduct is examined fairly and impartially.
Kate McDerby, spokeswoman for the commission, said the Surrey office, in the 7000-block of 137th Street, will close by mid fall. More people, she said, are lodging their complaints on-line these days. "That definitely played a role in it."
She said the commission is streamlining its services. Asked if it's dropping service, McDerby replied "absolutely not."
Rather, she said, it is "beefing up" its number of investigators. "It does free up some dollars," she said of the decision to close Surrey's office.
tom.zytaruk@thenownewspaper.com