Surrey Police propose a satellite academy to train 90 recruits yearly, aiming to ease pressure on B.C.’s main police training facility.
Surrey Police propose satellite training academy
The Surrey Police Service (SPS) has submitted a proposal to British Columbia’s Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General for a new satellite police training academy in Surrey. The plan would establish a dedicated facility capable of training at least 90 recruits annually.
Using Surrey’s own training infrastructure
Staff Sergeant Lindsey Houghton said the proposed program would operate out of SPS’s existing 65,000-square-foot training centre, using in-house instructors and leaders experienced with the Justice Institute of British Columbia’s (JIBC) curriculum. “The Ministry had requested submissions from police agencies interested in participating in a potential pilot program for satellite recruit training,” Houghton explained, noting that similar models have already proven successful in Alberta and Ontario.
Why the city is pushing for expansion
SPS leaders argue that the new academy would relieve ongoing pressure on the JIBC’s training capacity in New Westminster. Earlier this month, Surrey councillor and mayoral candidate Linda Annis said the province’s move to increase JIBC’s annual intake from 192 to 288 recruits “isn’t enough” to meet growing demand across the Lower Mainland. She and other city officials maintain that a Surrey-based training hub would provide more accessible and scalable options for regional police forces.
City and provincial support for the proposal
The proposed academy has backing from both the Surrey Police Board and City Hall. Mayor Brenda Locke described police training as essential to maintaining “strong and effective public safety.” She emphasized that as communities across the province continue to grow, “ensuring adequate training capacity for new recruits will be critical.” Surrey Police Board chair Harley Chappell added that Surrey has “the highest need in the province for police recruit training” and that SPS is well-positioned to provide surge-capacity instruction.
What it means for police recruitment
If approved, the new academy would help SPS achieve its goal of hiring more than 800 officers within seven years — with 250 positions still to be filled. Chief Constable Norm Lipinski said that while the province’s recent increase in JIBC training seats is a positive step, it won’t meet the demands of agencies facing unprecedented turnover and resource challenges. “By utilizing our existing Surrey Police Training Centre and in-house instructors to train SPS recruits,” he said, “the JIBC will be able to better serve other police agencies in B.C.”
What comes next for Surrey’s proposal
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is currently reviewing submissions from interested police agencies as part of a potential pilot program. Surrey’s application, if accepted, could make it one of the first cities in British Columbia to host a decentralized police academy — a move that could reshape how new officers are trained across the province.
