Surrey Police Service says enough is enough on Twitter
"Trolls do what trolls do but it has come to a new low," said SPS spokesperson Ian MacDonald, referring to tweets that had alleged infidelity, family collapse and secret children against some SPS members
Article content
The Surrey Police Service has asked Twitter trolls to stop spreading lies about its officers and their families as a way to discredit the controversial transition from an RCMP detachment to a municipal police force.
On Monday, the Surrey Police Twitter handle, which has 5,350 followers, stated “the Surrey Police Service takes considerable exception to individuals who are using Twitter to engage in personal attacks against our employees, and even worse, their families.”
Force spokesperson Ian MacDonald said that the intensity of Twitter trolls — people who post false and inflammatory comments linking to the accounts of people that are attacking — had increased since the Oct. 15 municipal election when mayoral candidate Brenda Locke beat former mayor Doug McCallum — who created the force to replace the Surrey RCMP. Locke wants the RCMP to remain in the city.
“Trolls do what trolls do, but it has come to a new low,” MacDonald said, referring to tweets that had alleged infidelity, family collapse and secret children among some Surrey Police officers.
MacDonald said that it was particularly disturbing that trolls knew particular police officers and that they were attacking them as part of an continuing effort to discredit the force — which is embroiled in an ugly political battle within Surrey.
This battle dates back to 2018, when McCallum was elected on a promise to get rid of the Surrey RCMP and replace them with a municipal force.
McCallum won provincial government approval to switch forces and as of this month the service has hired 296 sworn officers and 57 civilian staff, with the service scheduled to be fully operational by July.
Locke is 100 per cent committed to keeping the Surrey RCMP and has asked for a corporate report to be drawn up outlining how the city will disband the Surrey Police. This report will be passed on to B.C. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth who will have the final say on who gets to police B.C.’s second-largest municipality by population.
Despite this state of flux, the Surrey Police Service is continuing to hire officers and is carrying on as if it is guaranteed it will be allowed to take over from the RCMP.
The Surrey RCMP meanwhile is also carrying on as if it will stay in place, while making no comments to the media about the transition.
MacDonald said that policing was already a challenging occupation, and for individual officers to be targeted online was treacherous and unfair.
More news, fewer ads: Our in-depth journalism is possible thanks to the support of our subscribers. For just $3.50 per week, you can get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.
![VANCOUVER, BC - April 3, 2024 - West Broadway looking west from tower that is under construction at Broadway and Granville in Vancouver, BC, April 3, 2024. (Arlen Redekop / Postmedia staff photo) (Story by Dan Fumano) [PNG Merlin Archive]](https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/vancouversun/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/png0403-tower-construction-8.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=232&sig=vUa6zTiEqOd-vi2lQwJAhw)
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.