The cities of Victoria and Esquimalt have their first-ever feminine police chief.
Fiona Wilson, who at present serves as a deputy chief with the Vancouver Police Division, can be heading to Vancouver Island to go up the Victoria Police Division.
“It’s an unimaginable honour,” Wilson mentioned of the appointment on Friday.
“I acknowledge the significance of incomes the belief of a brand new division and two distinctive and vibrant communities,” she added.
“Whereas I wish to acknowledge the historic significance of being the primary feminine chief of police right here at VicPD, I additionally am centered on the issues which can be actually vital to me that are neighborhood, worker wellness and delivering outcomes.”
Wilson involves the Victoria power as a 26-year veteran of the VPD, the place she began with roles together with patrolling the Downtown Eastside and as an investigator within the Intercourse Crimes Unit, earlier than transferring on to quite a lot of management roles.
Wilson was promoted to deputy chief in 2021.
Get breaking Nationwide information
For information impacting Canada and around the globe, join breaking information alerts delivered on to you once they occur.
In tapping her for the highest job at VicPD, the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board mentioned she “stood out amid a wealthy subject of candidates.”
“(She) impressed us along with her imaginative and prescient for supporting each VicPD sworn members and civilian professionals whereas strengthening belief and security within the communities of Victoria and Esquimalt,” board chair Micayla Hayes mentioned.
Wilson will take over from outgoing Chief Del Manak when he retires on the finish of August.
She’ll then be in charge of a power with no scarcity of complicated challenges, together with simmering public security, drug and homelessness issues, price range pressures and controversy over the area’s faculty liaison officer program.
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto mentioned she believes the search discovered the suitable individual for the job.
“Any one in all (the candidates) would have been excellent. The difficulty for us was discovering somebody who was simply that rather more aligned with the town’s values and what I hope are the service’s values as properly,” she advised International Information.
Manak mentioned he’ll spend the following a number of months getting ready for a clean transition.
“I couldn’t be extra happy to deliver her on a chief,” he mentioned.
“I can inform you she is the true deal. She has a tremendous resume, however what’s extra vital to me — she is community-minded, she is collaborative, she’s a neighborhood … she’s considerate, she’s variety, she’s caring.”
Wilson will take command of the VicPD on Aug. 15.
© 2025 International Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
Source link