AS efforts to sabotage Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum’s plan to transition to a civic police force from the RCMP intensify with three Councillors – Linda Annis, Brenda Locke and Jack Hundial – and Surrey Board of Trade’s Anita Huberman reportedly taking the lead, sources say that the City is looking into who could have leaked out a confidential memo to the media about the terms of reference for the “Surrey Policing Transition Project.”

Some feel that the City should bring in special investigators to track down those behind the leak to see if any rules were breached or any laws broken. (Many in Surrey suspect that the RCMP may be behind the leak).

There is also a lot of anger against especially Locke and Hundial, a former RCMP officer, who won the election only by being on McCallum’s team and assuring residents that they were supporting his declared goals of a municipal police force and a SkyTrain extension. The two now seem to be using any excuse possible to oppose both goals instead of seeing how they can support McCallum. Surrey-ites feel that the two should resign if they have any principles. They also point out how Annis only won after suddenly turning against her own party on a development project at the last minute.

Global News reported on Wednesday that the leaked memo says that if the policing transition gets the go-ahead from the Province, it will take place in four stages.

The first phase is taking place right now with the project team formulating a strategy. the cities of Surrey and Vancouver have already signed a memo for Vancouver Police to assist Surrey.

Phase 2 would begin in July with focus on recruitment and the next phase would start in January 2020 with the setting up of a police board and recruitment of senior management and key personnel, according to Global News.

In July 2020, during Phase 4, the new municipal police service will start operating as the RCMP contract winds up.