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The first meeting of the Surrey Police Board following the ouster of its former chief was marked by backlash from the public, who demanded transparency and answers weeks after the shock departure of Norm Lipinski.
Lipinski, the first chief of the Surrey Police Service, was let go on June 2 in a decision that sent shockwaves through B.C.’s second-largest city by population — which is dealing with a rash of extortion cases and gang-related shootings.
His departure was followed by that of the chair of the police board and another board member, with former board chair Harley Chappell claiming there was political interference at play behind Lipinski’s ouster.
Surrey is still in the process of a contentious policing transition from the RCMP to a municipal force, with the Surrey Police Union saying a lack of answers around Lipinski’s departure is leading to a lack of public confidence in the board.
That was on full display at the Wednesday board meeting, which saw residents vocally critical of the board, and an adjournment for over 10 minutes after pointed questions around transparency and why Lipinski left.
Despite repeated pleas from board members for public questions to stick to what was on the agenda, the criticism of the board was constant — with the adjournment greeted by claps and chants of, “Shame, shame!”
At a news conference before the chaotic meeting, new board chair Perm Jawanda provided the same response multiple times when asked why Lipinski was let go.
“The board had made a decision that we wanted to move in a different direction for leadership going into the next phase for the SPS,” she said.
“Chief Lipinski did a great job for five-and-a-half years, and he got us to the phase where we are today — whereas the board feels that … in the future for the SPS, we need a different leader in place.”
Jawanda rejected the claims of political interference that were lobbied at the board in the wake of Lipinski’s ouster by Chappell and other critics.
“The board has made decisions based upon where we think the board should be going, and the priorities that we have, and there is no political interference within those decisions,” she said.
Surrey Police Service chief Norm Lipinski was abruptly fired this week, leading to the immediate resignations of two prominent police board members who opposed the decision or the way it was handled. The CBC’s Jon Hernandez spent the week pressing local and provincial officials for answers, but no one is giving a straight answer.
Deputy Chief Const. Todd Matsumoto has been appointed interim chief of the force, with a recruitment process underway for the next chief constable.
For his part, Lipinski claimed in a letter to police union members that he was fired without cause.
Questions over new policy
While the board was eventually able to complete the meeting, a motion regarding the chief constable’s ability to speak to the public caused controversy, too.
The motion, passed unanimously, says that the chief constable and senior executives must not publicly comment on intergovernmental affairs or publicly criticize decisions of the board.
It also states the chief constable must not publicly criticize “municipal or provincial government or officials,” or offer personal opinions framed as organizational positions.
Ryan Buhrig, the president of the Surrey Police Union, said the optics of the motion — coming so soon after Lipinski’s ouster and right before a municipal election — were extremely concerning.
“The public would expect that a police chief can speak honestly and openly about public safety issues that affect the community,” he said.
Buhrig said that the “instability and political drama” around the Surrey Police Board was not productive — both for the force’s recruiting efforts and for day-to-day policing.
It’s been more than a week since Norm Lipinski was ousted from his job as Surrey’s police chief and major questions remain over why he was let go. As the CBC’s Amelia John reports, the provincial government is facing growing calls to take action and launch an investigation.
Former West Vancouver police chief and B.C. solicitor general Kash Heed said that he would classify the motion as “direct political interference” and an attempt to suppress the voice of the leader of the SPS.
He reiterated calls for the province to step in, and said the police board and province both had a lack of credibility in dealing with significant issues affecting Surrey.
“There is no clear path forward so everyone can maintain the confidence in the Surrey Police Service,” he said.
In response to the criticism over the motion, Jawanda said the board wanted to ensure that there was a “clear outline” over what the board would comment on publicly and what the chief would be able to comment about publicly.
“The police chief constable, him and his leadership team would continue to speak on all operational items. That is their purview and that is their expertise,” she said.
“The board’s oversight is more about oversight and governance.”
