Surrey Police Board names new chief constable, McCallum wants board removed<\/p>\n
Published 2:00 pm Friday, October 30, 2026<\/p>\n
Surrey Police Service has a new chief constable.<\/p>\n
Surrey Police Board announced Friday (Oct. 30) that Todd Matsumoto, interim chief, has been made permanent in the role, effective Friday, Oct. 30.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an exciting day for Surrey Police Service,\u201d board chair Perm Jawanda said in a news release. \u201cWe are confident Todd Matsumoto is the right leader to guide SPS forward as we continue building a strong, modern and effective police service for the people of Surrey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reacting to the news Friday, Surrey mayor-elect Doug McCallum said Matsumoto\u2019s appointment, made \u201con the last business day before the new council is sworn in, is Brenda Locke\u2019s handpicked board doing exactly what it was built to do: carry out the mayor\u2019s wishes after the voters have shown the mayor the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scorn is not directed at Matsumoto, the incoming mayor insists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe union stands behind him, he will have my support and SPS officers will get the helicopter, drones and resources I promised,\u201d McCallum said in a news release ahead of Monday\u2019s inaugural council meeting (Nov. 2).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only reason to do this on Friday was to do it before Monday,\u201d McCallum added. \u201cToday I am calling on the Province to remove this entire board, every member of it, and appoint a new, non-partisan board through a public process, immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matsumoto, first hired by SPS in February 2021, has been interim chief constable since June, following the June 1 ousting of founding SPS chief constable Norm Lipinski, who was let go eight months into a renewed ongoing contract.<\/p>\n
Lipinski filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 28 asking the court to overturn his firing, claiming his \u201cpurported termination was motivated by extraneous political considerations disconnected from Chief Lipinski\u2019s conduct or competence, and was not conducted in accordance with the common law, the Police Act, or the board\u2019s own governance requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matsumoto\u2019s appointment follows \u201ca comprehensive national search process led by a respected executive search firm,\u201d according to the police board.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process included a thorough community and stakeholder engagement process, seeking input on a broad array of topics including challenges for and desired attributes of the new Chief Constable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matsumoto has more than three decades of leadership experience in municipal policing and public safety, including across many \u201cof the most significant initiatives in the SPS\u2019s history,\u201d the release continues.<\/p>\n