The West ShoreB次元官网网址檚 top RCMP officer will step down next month to become Oak BayB次元官网网址檚 new chief of police.
RCMP Insp. Mark Fisher accepted the job offer last Thursday and will take command July 11. Fisher, a 20 year veteran with the RCMP, served in communities across B.C. before taking the West Shore helm in March 2009.
B次元官网网址淭his was a very difficult decision. It will be a tough last day when I actually have to leave,B次元官网网址 Fisher said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been a great experience working here, weB次元官网网址檝e done fantastic work on significant files.B次元官网网址
Fisher said taking the police chief job in Oak Bay allows his family to stay living in Victoria after moving eight times over his RCMP career. It was only a matter of time before he was reassigned from the West Shore detachment, he said.
B次元官网网址淏ecoming chief of a municipal police force is a great opportunity and a huge challenge,B次元官网网址 he said. B次元官网网址淥ak Bay has a really experienced group there, and itB次元官网网址檚 not often a job like this comes open.B次元官网网址
Fisher will oversee 26 Oak Bay officers compared to 57 officers at the West Shore RCMP detachment. Since he already lives in Oak Bay, heB次元官网网址檒l be able to walk to work, although B次元官网网址渢hat was not the deciding factor,B次元官网网址 Fisher said laughing.
Despite his short tenure on the West Shore, Fisher was at the helm for a number of tough cases, including the brutal murder of Kimberly Proctor. Most recently, the detachment nabbed an alleged serial bank robber. He championed such well-received programs as having officers patrolling on mountain bikes during the summer.
B次元官网网址淭he guys are doing great work here. The public is in good hands,B次元官网网址 he said. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 want to leave, but IB次元官网网址檓 leaving when it's going well.B次元官网网址
Fisher is entering the Oak Bay police force as it works though a number of contentious internal issues.
The department was subject to external reviews of its structure, policies and operations this year. Two of its senior officers were named in an discrimination case by an officer in 2009. A second officer filed another second human rights complaint this year. Both complaints have yet to come before the B.C. Human Rights tribunal.
Fisher said a municipal force offers a different, interesting dynamic, such as officers working within a union and working with a police board. At the West Shore detachment, the RCMP commander generally works with the five West Shore municipalities and First Nations communities directly.
"We are very pleased to have Mark Fisher coming on board," said Oak Bay Mayor Christopher Causton. "He has a solid knowledge of local policing issues, given his experience at the West Shore detachment. He also has a track record of having strong, positive relationships with other chiefs and departments in the region.B次元官网网址