The police chief in Surrey, B.C., has left the service at the same time as the board chair resigned, saying the chief was fired as "political tentacles and pressures" reached too far.
The city's police board said in a statement on Tuesday that Chief Const. Norm Lipinski has been replaced by Deputy Chief Const. Todd Matsumoto, who has been appointed to the top post on an interim basis.
The board also said it will begin looking for a permanent chief, with updates coming in the next few weeks.
No reason was given for the change in leadership.
However, now-former chair Harley Chappell said in a letter that the board made the decision to fire Lipinski at a special meeting that Chappell did not attend.
"I do not support this motion and feel it to be in violation of our governance policies and provincial Police Act. But unfortunately, what is done is done," Chappell said in the letter.
Chappell said he believes he has gone above and beyond to lead an independent board to govern the Surrey Police Service.
"Unfortunately, I feel the political tentacles and pressures have reached far too deeply into our newly formed SPS board, and I morally and ethically cannot be part of this moving forward," the letter said.
In its statement, the board said it is confident in the continued professionalism of all personnel with the service.
"We want to assure our partners and all community members that we remain focused on protecting public safety and providing uninterrupted service delivery to the community," the statement said.
Lipinski was named the chief constable in November 2020 and had previously served as deputy police chief in the neighbouring city of Delta and as an assistant commissioner with the RCMP.
He oversaw Surrey's transition from the RCMP to its own municipal police force, a process that was contentious as Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke tried unsuccessfully to reverse the change back to the Mounties.
Locke said in a statement that she is confident that the police board has a plan in place for the leadership transition while thanking Lipinski for his service.
"As mayor, my focus remains public safety, and I look forward to working with interim Chief Todd Matsumoto during this transition period," Locke said.
The city has been beset by extortion-related violence this year targeting the South Asian community, while another recent spasm of deadly gang shootings has led to criticism of the force from the mayor about diverting resources from the gang squad.
B.C. Premier David Eby said at an unrelated news conference on Tuesday that his government's priority remains the maintenance of stable policing in Surrey during the leadership transition.
Eby said he told Locke a few months ago that the provincial government has been "too involved" in the Surrey policing issue "for too long" and it was time for local government to take responsibility.
He said that Locke agreed with the assessment, and the municipal government has worked with the province on filling out the police board in order to make local decisions, such as who the chief should be.
"It's important for them to let us know what their plan is here, given the amount of speculation that's currently taking place," Eby said in reaction to the departure of Lipinski.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
