Steve Rai Appointed Vancouver Police’s 32nd Chief Constable

Photo Credit: The Canadian Press

The Vancouver Police Board has appointed deputy police chief Steve Rai as the 32nd Chief Constable of The Vancouver Police Department (VPD). The move was publicly announced by the Vancouver Police Board and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim at a press conference on May 22. 

The change in position comes after former Chief Const. Adam Palmer announced his retirement in February, serving in the position for ten years.

“We are confident that Chief Rai will continue to foster trust within the community, strengthen relationships and lead the department with vision, integrity and courage,” Vancouver Police Board Chair Frank Chong said.

"With Chief Rai at the helm, Vancouver is in strong hands as we work to build a safer, more connected, and more resilient city," Sim said in an official statement released on May 22.

Born in Punjab, India, Rai emigrated to Vancouver with his family in the 1960s, graduating from Kitsilano Secondary in 1984. He is notably the VPD’s first leader of South Asian descent, but he doesn’t wish for that to be his defining trait.

“I want to be known for competency and leadership,” he said in a recent interview at the VPD’s Cambie Street precinct, as per Business In Vancouver. “I'm the police chief based on my skills, experience and abilities, and I happen to be South Asian.”

While working towards his undergraduate degree in Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia, Rai served with the Canadian Forces Reserve. Afterwards, he earned his Masters degree in criminal justice from the University of the Fraser Valley. 

According to the VPD’s website, Steve Rai then joined the force in 1990, starting out as a frontline patrol constable in District 3, which is located in the downtown eastside. He worked there for eight years, and his duties involved field training and mentoring new police officers. Throughout his career with the VPD, Rai took on many roles, acting as a hostage negotiator, forensic interviewer, community policing officer, sergeant, and commander of the public order unit. 

Rai has been at the forefront of many significant public order operations in BC, including as an Incident Commander for the Occupy Vancouver protests, as the Vancouver Departmental Operations Centre Commander for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and as the North Commander for the 2011 Stanley Cup Riot. Finally, Rai has served as Deputy Chief Constable of Support Services since his promotion in June 2015. 

In 2006, he was the only Canadian police officer selected for the US State Department’s International Leadership Development Program, which brought together police leaders from across the world. 

According to Business in Vancouver, one of Rai’s biggest challenges will be providing young officers with the training and support they need on and off the job. 

"We are a very young police department," he said, referring to some of the first officers on the scene at the Lapu Lapu Festival tragedy, who were just 25 years old. "Our frontline officers are essentially your kids, and we have to ensure that they're fully supported on training and behind the scenes support in order for them to serve this community."

The chief also cited resources as another one of the three challenges he believes his department to be facing. "It's a competitive world for good applicants and recruits, and we're going to continue to attract the best," Rai said.

"And the third [challenge] is we're going to come to our best friend, Mayor Sim, and ensure that he gets the full picture of how this city is growing and policing is growing with it — and we're looking for support from all stakeholders in the city to ensure we're well set up to keep growing and keep innovating."

Rai also said his ultimate vision is “to be the best department in the world.”

“You want to be the most innovative, the most inclusive, the most diverse, and have the best culture internally. You want to have people who are happy, engaged employees,” he said. “[...] I want to make sure the young officers continue to understand what they're doing and what it's tied to—why they put on the uniform and what their purpose is.”