The search is on for a new Oak Bay police chief and the mayor expects it to be quick.
On Dec. 12, it was announced that Oak Bay police chief Mark Fisher would leave in March to become the new RCMP detachment commander in Nanaimo. Fisher was hired in July 2011.
Mayor Nils Jensen said the search will start in January with a shortlist completed by early February. The successful candidate will likely be from B.C.
“When we looked at the applications the last time around, there was a huge number of people applying and more than enough applications to choose from in B.C.,” Jensen, who is also the Oak Bay police board chair, said. “There is enough highly qualified candidates (in B.C.).”
Jensen said the police board is looking for a new chief who will continue Fisher’s focus on community policing and who has knowledge of B.C. policing issues. He said the board wants a tight turnaround in the hiring process.
“We don’t want too much of a gap between the outgoing chief and the incoming chief,” Jensen said. “This is going to be an open competition, externally and internally.”