The Surrey Police Board is planning to "move on" from the RCMP to a new municipal police force in the city by hiring a former assistant commissioner of that same RCMP. On November 19, 2020, they announced that they have tabbed Norm Lipinski to be the first chief of the city's new municipal police force. Lipinski is currently the deputy chief of the Delta Police Department and before that spent years with the Edmonton Police Service before becoming assistant commissioner with the RCMP’s E Division (British Columbia).
The announcement
comes the same day a major report details systemic abuse and the toxic culture
of the RCMP. Nice timing.
Under Lipinski’s
term in Delta, two
Delta Police officers were disciplined following a five-month long
investigation into a complaint of workplace and sexual harassment. Sounds
familiar.
Speaking of
multiple killer RCMP Monty Robinson, then assistant commissioner Lipinski
said: "he won’t be fired outright, now that he's a convicted criminal,
because he's still entitled to due process as a police officer under the RCMP
Act."
Lipinski
was embroiled in a
controversy when civilian Kiran Sidhu was sprayed with a water hose by Lorraine
Dubord, spouse of Delta’s police chief Neil Dubord, outside the couple’s house
in June 2020. Lorraine Dubord allegedly hurled insults at Ms. Sidhu. Police decided
not to lay charges against Lorraine Dubord and there was some concern about
Lipinski’s role in that decision.
Getting rid
of the RCMP in Surrey was a good step. No need to bring any of them back. And now
the next step is to defund and abolish the new force.
