Transit police officers darted through traffic in pursuit of a wanted suspect last month in Surrey – a dramatic foot chase that was recorded by CTV News.

The officers pursued the man from Surrey Central SkyTrain Station and across busy King George Boulevard before finally nabbing him in a parking lot outside Save-On Foods.

Staff Sgt. Troy Henyecz said the chase was triggered when police recognized the suspect as having an outstanding warrant.

"(Officers) know the people around this area, they've dealt with them before," Henyecz said. "We see the warrant list and we know they've got a warrant – boom."

Transit police have come under scrutiny in recent weeks after an independent arbitrator approved officers for a raise of more than 10 per cent. Reporter St. John Alexander spent the night of April 18 riding along with officers on the SkyTrain and in a cruiser to get a better sense of the duties they perform.

Some critics, including the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, have questioned whether Metro Vancouver even needs transit police. The department represents the only transit-specific police force in Canada, though many major cities outside the country employ armed transit cops.

The department also has a $37-million annual budget. New recruits fresh out of the Justice Institute of B.C. earn a $72,000 annual salary, and constables with about four years' experience make just over $100,000.

And there is the unfortunate perception that officers do little more than check fares.

"A lot of people have that perception that we're standing there doing nothing. We're not," said Sgt. Clint Hampton. "If you're going to see us standing around, that's usually going to be in the rush hours. It's going to be in the morning and the afternoon. And really, the purpose of that is we're strategically placed – if there's an incident, we're going to have officers within a station or two."

Officers pride themselves on their ability to react to emergency situations at transit hubs, but also will leave the transit system to execute arrest warrants or make house calls to take statements as part of ongoing investigations.

And yes, they sometimes check fares – a duty they insist remains relevant despite the installation of expensive fare gates.

"Fare gates are a piece of the puzzle," Hampton said. "They don't stop people from pushing through, jumping over, climbing under and they don't stop any of the criminal activity that's happening."

Police said criminals are often the kind of people who will jump the fare gates, meaning that stopping someone for failing to buy a ticket could end up netting a suspect on an outstanding warrant.

Officers responded to nearly 27,000 incidents in 2016, including more than 2,056 crimes against people, 2,223 property crimes and 271 sexual offences, and officers believe there would be even more criminal activity in and around transit if they weren’t around.

"We're having a physical presence, which in and of itself is really going to deter crime," Hampton said. "It adds to the security and safety of the individuals riding the train. They know that there's an officer there that they can go talk to."

With files from CTV Vancouver's St. John Alexander