Editor,
The formal transfer of policing from the RCMP to the fledgling Surrey Police Service marks 70 years of exceptional service by the RCMP in the City of Surrey.
I was a student attending Lord Tweedsmuir High School when the transfer of policing from the Surrey Police to the RCMP occurred, following approval by a majority vote of the people. The change was welcomed, and the force grew in numbers and stature along with the growth of the City.
During my years in office as mayor, I was supported by George Strathdee, Willard Townsend and finally Terry Smith. We even had our own Dudley Do-Right, Inspector Good, a towering handsome specimen if there ever was one. I had wished I could have taken him along with me on my trips to our sister cities of Koto Ku in Japan and Zhuhai China. There could have been no better symbol of Canadian pride, than the inspector dressed out in red serge. Alas, it did not happen.
For me, the RCMP have been a source of great pride, and I take their loss very personally.
Bob Bose, former mayor of Surrey