The City of Surrey has hired the former top cop for Surrey RCMP to manage its newly created public safety department.
According to an email sent to staff on Wednesday morning (July 30) by City of Surrey city manager Rob Costanzo, Brian Edwards is set to begin as the general manager of the public safety department on Aug. 25. The City confirmed this to the Surrey Now-Leader at 6 p.m. Thursday (July 31).
Edwards was the assistant commissioner and officer in charge of Surrey RCMP from 2020 to 2024. He was in charge as policing in Surrey transitioned from Surrey RCMP to the Surrey Police Service, which became the police of jurisdiction in the city on Nov. 29, 2024. Most recently, Edwards served as the Lower Mainland District Commander for the RCMP E Division.
City manager Rob Costanzo said in an email to the Now-Leader that Edwards乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒渄eep operational knowledge of policing in Surrey, coupled with proven expertise in change management and stakeholder engagement, uniquely positions him to steward the final phases of our policing transition while advancing a holistic public safety strategy for the city.乌鸦传媒�
Surrey Police Service, Surrey Fire and bylaw will be consolidated under the umbrella of the public safety department, Costanzo said. It will also work with other departments that 乌鸦传媒渃ontribute to community safety,乌鸦传媒� such as engineering, parks, planning and emergency preparedness.
乌鸦传媒淢r. Edwards乌鸦传媒� goals are to align non-police civic functions that support public safety (e.g., emergency preparedness), help council identify and refine the City's public safety goals; and provide corporate oversight of the City乌鸦传媒檚 role in the policing transition plan, ensuring City deliverables are met,乌鸦传媒� Costanzo said in his statement to the Now-Leader.
The Surrey Now-Leader asked the City whether the Surrey Police Service had been consulted before Edwards乌鸦传媒� hiring.
Costanzo乌鸦传媒檚 statement did not address that question but said the new department 乌鸦传媒渆nhances the city乌鸦传媒檚 ability to work with the Surrey Police Service, the Surrey Police Board and community stakeholders on matters where municipal services intersect with police services such as joint responses to public-realm issues and large-scale events.乌鸦传媒�
The Now-Leader also reached out to Mayor Brenda Locke and the Surrey Police Service.
"Until a formal announcement is made by the city, Surrey Police Service are not in a position to comment," said media liaison Ian MacDonald.
CITY OF SURREY STATEMENT
Below is the text of the full statement from the City of Surrey, city manager Rob Costanzo:
乌鸦传媒淪urrey has established a new Public Safety Department to be headed by inaugural General Manager Brian Edwards.
The Public Safety Department was created to align and coordinate the many civic services that contribute to community safety, including Fire, Bylaws, Engineering, Parks, Planning, Emergency Preparedness, and the city乌鸦传媒檚 partnership with the Surrey Police Service (SPS) and Surrey Police Board (SPB).
Mr. Edwards乌鸦传媒� goals are to align non-police civic functions that support public safety (e.g., emergency preparedness), help Council identify and refine the City's public safety goals; and provide corporate oversight of the City乌鸦传媒檚 role in the policing transition plan, ensuring City deliverables are met.
Most recently, Mr. Edwards served as Lower Mainland District Commander for RCMP "E" Division, where he provided executive leadership to 13 detachments, 2,000 police officers and 1,000 civilian employees across 28 municipalities and 40 Indigenous communities. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Commissioner and Officer-in-Charge of Surrey RCMP, where he guided the most intricate policing transition in Canadian history while maintaining day-to-day policing for Surrey's 680,000 residents.
Mr. Edwards deep operational knowledge of policing in Surrey, coupled with proven expertise in change management and stakeholder engagement, uniquely positions him to steward the final phases of our policing transition while advancing a holistic public safety strategy for the city.
The new public safety department enhances the City's ability to work collaboratively with the SPS, the SPB and community stakeholders on matters where municipal services intersect with police services such as joint responses to public-realm issues and large-scale events.乌鸦传媒�
