Langley Township Mayor Eric Woodward is once again criticizing Langley City over policing, this time about staffing levels allotted during budget deliberations.
On Monday, Feb. 4, Woodward wrote to the City about what he’s calling insufficient funding for two additional RCMP members in this year’s budget.
“Our position hasn’t changed – public safety and taxpayer interests are our top priorities,” said City communications manager Ram Chungh.
“We haven’t been able to reach an agreement on the police servicing agreement, so we’ve asked the province for an independent facilitator to step in. This will include a fair, fact-based review to ensure a transparent and balanced negotiation,” noted Chungh.
Woodward cited the crime severity index, from Stats Canada. He claims the City’s index is 136 per cent higher than the provincial average (based on 2023 stats, the most recent available).
“For the benefit of your residents and businesses, as well as ours, this must be addressed,” he wrote.
During City budget discussions in January, Mayor Nathan Pachal said, “Given the uncertainty right now with the building and the detachment and the staffing and everything, I don’t feel comfortable, just myself personally, moving forward on this one at this time.”
Councillor Paul Albrecht, who chairs the City’s crime prevention committee, said at the same council meeting that the Township is continuing to grow much faster than the City.
“I think we’ve got more than enough [RCMP] coverage,” Albrecht said.
The two communities share the RCMP detachment building in Murrayville. The Township has a population of about 162,000 people. The City, which is about four square miles, has about 35,000 people.
Although the RCMP detachment is shared, each municipality independently decides how many new RCMP positions it will fund in each year’s budget.
Langley City and Township, who currently share an RCMP detachment, have been without a police servicing agreement since the end of 2022.
The Township notified the City that it was ending its joint RCMP agreement in May 2023, giving the required two years notice.
The City’s response was that it was not a unilateral decision and asked the province to get involved. Woodward said de-integration is coming in May of this year and called on the City to pay the Township more money.
“As de-integration approaches, effective May 10, 2025, I ask that you please revisit your decision to unfund additional RCMP members in 2025. Instead, I ask that you substantially address your chronic shortage of RCMP members specific to the City of Langley. In addition, please outline how you intend to fund operating and capital resources the Township of Langley may be expected to continue to provide.”
Langley City opted not to add two officers to this year’s budget and will wait until the de-integration issue is resolved.
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LETTER SENT TO LANGLEY CITY
The City of Langley
20399 Douglas Crescent
Langley BC
V3A 4B3
February 4th, 2025
RE: REMOVAL OF ADDITIONAL RCMP MEMBERS WITHIN THE 2025 DRAFT BUDGET
Dear Mayor Pachal and City of Langley Council,
The preliminary decision by Langley City Council on January 27, 2025, to remove funding in your 2025 Draft Budget for two additional RCMP Members is deeply troubling.
According to Statistics Canada, crime severity in the City of Langley increased 11% in 2023, and is now up 37% in just three years. The City of Langley's crime severity is now 136% higher than the Provincial average. As of 2022, the criminal case load per RCMP Member is 83, 63% more than we see in the Township. For the benefit of your residents and businesses, as well as ours, this must be addressed.
Due to this worsening situation, it is obvious that the City of Langley remains chronically short of needed, additional authorized funding for RCMP Members, not only for this year, but for your future detachment.
Provision of funding for other resources is also needed to pro
ide for adequate and effective policing within the City of Langley, pursuant to your commitments to the Province of BC.
I find it especially concerning that Mayor Pachal and another City of Langley Council Member specifically cited de-integration as a rationale to remove proposed funding for additional policing resources, even commenting that the City of Langley has "more than enough coverage." If that were true, then $2.7M from the City of Langley would not have been required as partial compensation for policing resources diverted away from serving and protecting Township of Langley residents throughout 2023.
By contrast, to improve public safety for our residents and businesses, ensure community programming remains in place, expand traffic enforcement and to provide for population growth, Township of Langley Councils have added 29 new RCMP Members over the last 10 years, since 2015. This is a 21% increase, including 9 more added by us from 2023 to 2025. The City of Langley, by contrast, despite a gravely concerning, worsening crime severity situation, has added only 3, while raising property taxes almost
30% over the last three years for other items.
As de-integration approaches, effective May 10, 2025, I ask that you please revisit your decision to unfund additional RCMP Members in 2025. Instead, I ask that you substantially address your chronic shortage of RCMP Members specific to the City of Langley. In addition, please outline how you intend to fund operating and capital resources the Township of Langley may be expected to continue to provide.
Public safety is one of the core services local governments like ours are expected and required to plan for, budget for, and provide. Given the ongoing and worsening public safety situation in the City of Langley affecting us all, but especially the residents of the City of Langley, please do so.
Sincerely,
Eric Woodward
Mayor
Township of Langley
