'F' Division Commanding Officer Mark Fisher. (submitted photo/RCMP)

By Nigel Maxwell

Policing

Sask. RCMP’s Commanding Officer accepts job offer in B.C.

Aug 6, 2020 | 2:08 PM

After nearly two years in Saskatchewan, the province’s top RCMP officer is moving on.

Commanding Officer Mark Fisher accepted a job as deputy chief of the Oak Bay Police Service in B.C. where he previously spent over seven years of his 25-year career.

“In my career I’ve moved 10 times to different communities across Canada with my wife and my family. Victoria and Oak Bay were where we were the longest so we have a lot of long term friends there and it’s the place we consider home,” he said.

During his two years with ‘F’ division, Fisher worked on decreasing members’ vacancy rate to ensure there are more officers on the road, while also providing other officers the opportunity to take time off. Fisher was involved in a number of initiatives including community consultation meetings, as well as the country’s first RCMP reconciliation strategy.

“Public trust is fragile yet it’s such an important part of what we do” _{– Mark Fisher}

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“Obviously our relationship with our Indigenous communities is a huge priority for us in this province. It’s a big part of what we do and that relationship is crucial to us in maintaining public support and public trust,” he said.

A few months ago, Fisher attended a round dance in Prince Albert honouring the families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. Fisher said he was very moved by the strenth and courage of the communities involved.

Reflecting back on the past year, Fisher described his job as a challenging one. He said there have been a number of incidents which have cast a negative light on policing. With that, he said he has concerns about the RCMP’s ability to recruit new members.

Fisher referred to recent RCMP-related incidents involving allegations of excessive force, which have received renewed attention after the death of George Floyd in the United States.

“I just hope the public understands the complexities of what we are asking our folks on the front lines to do in this day of very complex incidents and files they are asked to deal with and make split second decisions on,” Fisher said.

He added these types of incidents impact all levels of the RCMP, from the officers who work on the front lines to staff members at the detachments.

“Public trust is fragile, yet it’s such an important part of what we do and our ability to do it and we police by consent. I remind our employees all the time we can’t lose sight of who we serve,” he said.

Fisher added another big challenge facing members of the RCMP is the impact of crystal meth on communities and the rising number of mental health related calls. Fisher explained many of the officers work in remote communities, where there is limited or no access to mental health resources.

“They have to be a jack-of-all trades and attend these calls and manage them as best as they can given the training and expertise they have at their disposal,” Fisher said.

Fisher’s final day with the Saskatchewan RCMP is Monday.

“As I get ready to head out the door, I am going to leave with my head held high. I think we have a great team in this province and I’m really impressed by the people I’ve met who are on the front lines and just the intelligence, the compassion and I think the life experience they bring to their roles,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Saskatchewan RCMP told paNOW discussions are underway to find Fisher’s replacement and will involve both senior RCMP officials as well as the government.

—

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell