Policing in the Langleys: the RCMP detachment explained

You may have seen headlines about “the RCMP split” in Langley. It is a tangled story, so here is a plain summary of what each side has said. We have tried to keep to what was published and who said it.

How it works today

Since the 1950s, the Township and the City have shared one RCMP detachment, according to the Langley Advance Times. Each municipality pays for a set number of officers and resources under policing agreements. The RCMP’s own position, as reported by Global News in 2025, is that it is a service provider to both municipalities under a contract each has with it.

The 2023 proposal

In May 2023, the Township announced it planned to end the shared arrangement and create its own detachment. CBC reported that council had voted on this in a closed session weeks earlier, and that then-mayor Eric Woodward said the Township needed to make a change and have a detachment suited to its needs. City mayor Nathan Pachal said he was not surprised, that the City had preferred to renegotiate the shared agreement, and that the City would cooperate. CBC also reported that a full split could take years and would need provincial and federal involvement.

What happened in 2025

On May 10, 2025, the Township said its integrated policing model with the City had ended. Mr. Woodward said the Township did not need the City’s consent, and that neither the RCMP nor the Province had to approve it. The Township took over the detachment building in Murrayville, and the City is using it for now.

The City answered on May 12, 2025. Its news release says the building agreement is separate from the question of de-integrating policing, and that de-integration needs provincial approval, which it said had not been given. The City said it was open to a mediated process.

The Province’s role, as reported:

• Public Safety Minister Garry Begg told Global News the matter was between the two municipalities, since both hold their own contracts with the RCMP.
• The Advance Times reported a letter from a Public Safety ministry official saying the Province could not stop the Township from ending the agreement, and that the minister and the BC RCMP commanding officer must agree to changes in how the RCMP is organised. The paper dates that letter April 4 (2025). Its later article refers to a letter dated February 6, 2025, so the date is reported two ways.
• Premier David Eby said he was disappointed the two could not settle it and encouraged mediation or arbitration.

The RCMP said there would be no interruption of service for residents of either municipality.

Where it stood in 2026

In May 2026, the Advance Times reported that neither side had moved. The Township’s offer to compensate the City for its share of the building and equipment had been rejected, and the matter was in arbitration. The City said it had not received a formal decision from the Province on de-integration. The City’s capital plan shows a possible new public safety building at an estimated $30 million in 2027 and 2028, which the paper described as a contingency rather than a final decision.

What the new mayors have said

Voters elected new mayors in October 2026. Per the City’s results page, Delaney Mack won in the City. Per Daily Hive, Jay Lundgren won in the Township. We searched for statements by either of them about the RCMP detachment and did not find any on the record. The Daily Hive piece on the results has nothing about policing. So the question of what happens next now sits with the two new councils. We will update this page when they say something publicly.

To follow the new councils, see new council first meetings, how to attend a council meeting, and City vs. Township.

Related pages

• Langley RCMP: offices, contacts and who leads the detachment

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