A third-generation Mountie has been named the new commander for Island District RCMP.
Chief Supt. Bruce Singer started the post Monday, succeeding outgoing district commander Shawna Baher.
Singer most recently served as officer in charge of the Lower Mainland District Integrated Teams, where he was responsible for 450 specialized officers and employees delivering service to 33 communities, five municipal police organizations and 13 RCMP detachments.
Those teams included homicide, emergency response, forensic identification, police dog services and the collision and reconstruction analysts programs.
Singer has led major and serious crimes units, the polygraph section and the E Division interview team, where he travelled throughout Vancouver Island supporting investigations.
“I’m incredibly honoured to take on this new role as district commander,” Singer said in a statement. “Having worked with dedicated Island investigators in the past, I have seen firsthand their unwavering commitment to their communities and to public safety.”
Singer commended Baher for her leadership and dedication to the Island District.
A veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces from 1988 to 1991, Singer later joined the British Columbia Sheriff’s Department and, in 2000, transitioned to the RCMP.
In 2016, he was commissioned as an inspector in Newfoundland and Labrador, where he managed major crimes and the National Sex Offender Registry, among other duties.
Singer was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, was invested as a Member of the Order of Merit of Police Forces in 2018 and holds the RCMP Long Service Medal.
Singer volunteers as chair of Cops for Cancer and teaches scuba diving.
