Police Services Board Looks Within for its New Chief

( BRAMPTON )– The search for a new Chief of Police for the Peel Regional Police will focus solely on internal candidates, says Mr. Emil Kolb, Chair, Regional Municipality of Peel Police Services Board.

“One of the mandates we gave our Chief, Noel Catney, many years ago, was to put in place a robust succession plan,” says Mr. Kolb. “We believe he has done so, and that our own people represent the best candidates for assuming the very important role of Chief of Police for the Peel Regional Police.”

Mr. Kolb says the Board, over a number of meetings, examined the merits of several different selection processes. Ultimately, however, he says the Board believes the next chief of police needs to know and understand the Peel community, and that can only be acquired through years of working with the many groups within the Region.

“It speaks to the legacy of Chief Noel Catney that our community expects its Chief of Police to know and appreciate the diversity that makes our Region so strong,” says Mr. Kolb. “There are many qualified operational police leaders in Canada, including our senior management. However, there are only a few, and they currently reside within our police service, that have the intimate understanding of our local leaders, the groups they represent, and value they bring in making this Region so strong. It is a value-added that is unique to our own command team and convinced us to look at our own people first.”

Mr. Kolb says that the search will commence immediately, and he anticipates the Board will hold interviews as soon as practical.

“We know our people,” says Mr. Kolb. “They are the ones that with Noel’s leadership, have made this a truly professional organization. We expect that to continue under our new Chief.”

The Peel Regional Police is the second largest municipal police service in Ontario, with 1,678 uniform and 635 civilian members, and provides policing services to the cities of Brampton and Mississauga, and under contract, to Pearson International Airport.

For further information: Frederick Biro, Executive Director 905-458-1340.