Search begins for new Surrey Police Service chief constable

Lipinski was hired in November 2020, six months after the Surrey Police Service was formed to replace the Surrey RCMP. The SPS officially took over from the RCMP in November 2024.

The creation of the SPS was driven by former Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum. In the lead-up to the October 2022 municipal election, current Mayor Brenda Locke campaigned on a promise to rescind the SPS and stick with the RCMP.

Locke was unable to do this once in power and the SPS officially took over in November 2024. The 2026 budget for the force is $284.5 million.

Lipinski told staff in a farewell letter that he had been called into a meeting with the board on June 1 and terminated without cause. Harley Chappell, the chair of the board at the time, said he was blindsided by the decision to oust Lipinski and that the decision was made at a closed board meeting May 29 that he didn’t attend. He resigned a few days later, followed by board member James Carwana.

Being a board member is a voluntary position. Seven of the nine directors on the police board are appointed directly by the province. One director is appointed by the city and the ninth director is a member of city council.