Steve Rai, who had been serving as VPD’s interim chief while holding the rank of deputy chief due to the retirement of Adam Palmer, has now been named Vancouver’s 32nd Chief Constable.
Rai is of Punjabi descent and graduated from Kitsilano Secondary School in 1984. He is a veteran, serving in the Canadian Forces Reserves while pursuing his undergrad degree at UBC. He later obtained a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from SFU before joining the VPD in 1990.
Rai has been congratulated by Mayor Ken Sim, who has a close working relationship with. VPD’s Chair Frank Chong stated that the talent pool for the position was very small, with Rai being the frontrunner among only 10 candidates.