Protecting Vancouver
Guest: Steve Rai (Chief Constable, Vancouver Police)
On this edition of Journal, Chief Constable Steve Rai. It’s almost a year since he was chosen to lead the Vancouver Police Department into the future – the first South Asian Chief for the VPD.
His story is so interesting: born in Punjab, India, he came with his family to Canada at age 5. A boy who lived next door to him in Kitsilano was unable to pronounce his name, Satwinder Singh, so he named him Steve. So, Steve it is.
A new immigrant, his dad found work in maintenance at the Vancouver Police Department and loved it, perhaps influencing his son’s decision to join the VPD at the age of 23.
When the Chief talks about his first assignment, walking the streets of East Vancouver 36 years ago, his amazement and enthusiasm boils over. “Remember that?” he says to a Business in Vancouver reporter. “Gun violence every day. Open warfare with machine guns out the back windows of cars, shooting each other on Kingsway.”
Sometimes we think we are the only ones living in dangerous times.
Steve Rai has always believed in hard work, education, and learning. While he was carrying out his policing duties on the streets of Vancouver, he was also learning by taking many additional courses, including being the only Canadian police officer accepted for the US International Leadership Development program in 2006.
And now, Chief Rai can put all that experience to work, starting with his dream of Vancouver having its own police academy. Steve once said that about 40% of his time is spent lobbying and, for sure, that has paid off with the province and city officially blessing this new academy.
Enjoy this episode via podcast or YouTube:
