Ottawa Pledges up to 20 Extra RCMP Officers for Surrey’s Anti-Extortion Fight

Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree rises during question period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sept. 22, 2025. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says Ottawa is allocating up to 20 additional RCMP officers to Surrey, B.C., to combat the ongoing extortion crisis in the city, which has resulted in homes and businesses being plagued by gunfire.

Anandasangaree said the RCMP will also commit helicopter resources to the cause.

“The recent rise in extortion in Surrey and across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia is unacceptable,” Anandasangaree said in a Jan. 28 letter. “The Government of Canada is committed to dismantling the criminal networks that have created a climate of fear and intimidation amongst communities.”

The move comes a day after Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke called on the federal government to either declare a national state of emergency or implement “similar extraordinary measures” to address extortion impacting communities across Canada.

Locke told reporters after Anandasangaree’s announcement that while she welcomes the “significant” additional resources promised by the federal government, “there is no question” that her city will need more help to deal with the ongoing extortion issue.

Locke said in a Jan. 27 statement that residents and business owners in Surrey “are living in constant fear.”

“Public safety is at risk, and the social and economic impact is real,” she said.

Ottawa’s announcement followed a Jan. 28 meeting with B.C. Premier David Eby, RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme, and Canada Border Services Agency President Erin O’Gorman focused on disrupting what Anandasangaree said was the growing foothold of criminal networks in British Columbia.

Anandasangaree said Ottawa’s commitment of federal officers comes on top of $4 million in federal funding to the Regional Drug Enforcement Team (RIDET) to bolster local law enforcement’s efforts and $1 million to support victims in the province.

Eby has spoken out about the ongoing extortion issue in Surrey on several occasions and discussed the issue further with Prime Minister Mark Carney at the first ministers’ meeting in Ottawa on Jan. 29.

He told reporters during a press conference after the meeting that police leaders from British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario would gather in Surrey within the next two weeks to address the extortions alongside the head of the RCMP national team responsible for managing this issue.

He said the meeting would help “ensure there are no gaps in sharing information, that all resources that are needed have been delivered, and they can get a handle on this as the national issue that it is.”

He told reporters Ottawa also needs to pass  Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, “as expeditiously as possible.”

“What we’re seeing in Surrey—it’s a terror attack in slow motion, and you would never dream of giving refugee status to someone who participated in a terror attack,” he said. “But that’s exactly what’s happening under our current system. That loophole has to be closed.”

Bill C-14 proposes tougher penalties for violent and repeat offenders and would introduce consecutive sentences for offences such as extortion and crimes linked to criminal organizations. The bill passed second reading in the House of Commons last November and is currently in the parliamentary committee stage.

Ongoing ‘Crisis’

Surrey’s mayor has been calling on the federal government for help for some time, saying that provincial resources aren’t enough.

The city’s council passed a motion early this week urging Ottawa to declare the situation a national state of emergency.

“Despite police and provincial efforts, these crimes are not stopping,” Locke said in a Jan. 27 post on X. “Surrey is entering the third year of this crisis, and we need a full-scale national response. The federal government must act now to give authorities the additional tools needed to protect our community and restore public safety.”

The BC Extortion Task Force is “actively hunting” suspects in 32 files across the Lower Mainland, RCMP Assistant Commissioner John Brewer said during a Jan. 20 press conference.

He told reporters during his four-month update that multiple groups are involved in the ongoing criminal activities that primarily target members of the South Asian community

Police have connected several shootings in recent weeks to extortion that has resulted in gunfire impacting both businesses and residences. Similar incidents have persisted for months, with the suspected extortionists frequently posting videos of the attacks on social media.

The task force released data indicating that seven people had been charged so far and nine individuals had been deported as of Jan. 20 as part of 111 investigations into the admissibility of foreign nationals.

Brewer added that the goal is to either deport the alleged criminals or put them before the courts, but he said the process is a complicated one because the task force wants to ensure airtight cases for every suspect.

Extortion targeting business owners and residents in Surrey, B.C., and the surrounding Lower Mainland has been a major criminal issue for more than two years, with the origins of such criminal activities tracing back to at least 2023. The crisis saw a marked escalation throughout 2025 and has carried on into 2026.

The Surrey Police Service announced earlier this week that it had received 36 reports of extortion, impacting 21 victims, which included eight shootings as of Jan. 26.