Further to my broadcast of October, 21, 2010, I am pleased to announce further changes to the RCMP's Senior Management Team.
Assistant Commissioner Bob Paulson is being promoted to the rank of Deputy Commissioner and will immediately assume responsibilities as Deputy Commissioner Federal and International Policing. Pending his next assignment, Deputy Commissioner Raf Souccar will report to Senior Deputy Commissioner Rod Knecht. I would like to acknowledge and thank Raf for his many contributions in his role as Deputy Commissioner Federal and International Policing.
Assistant Commissioner Peter Hourihan is being promoted to the rank of Deputy Commissioner and will assume responsibilities as Commanding Officer of "E" Division once Assistant Commissioner Dale McGowan, who is being promoted to the rank of Deputy Commissioner, takes on his new responsibilities as Commanding Officer of "K" Division as previously announced. In the meantime, Assistant Commissioner Hourihan will continue as Commanding Officer of "K" Division.
Assistant Commissioner Peter German is being promoted to the rank of Deputy Commissioner and will take on responsibilities as Deputy Commissioner West, the newly created position currently occupied by Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass, when Deputy Bass retires in February 2011.
Chief Superintendent Craig Callens is being promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner and will assume responsibilities as Criminal Operations Officer of "E" Division effective December 17, 2010, on the retirement of Assistant Commissioner Al Macintyre.
Deputy Chief Norm Lipinski of the Edmonton Police Service is joining the RCMP as an Assistant Commissioner and will assume responsibilities as Lower Mainland District Commander in "E" Division in February 2011.
Chief Superintendent Marianne Ryan is being promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner and will assume responsibilities as Criminal Operations Officer of "K" Division in the near future.
I am also pleased to announce that Chief Superintendent Fraser MacRae, the Officer in Charge of our detachment in Surrey, British Columbia, is being promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner. Surrey is our largest municipal contract partner. I look forward to Fraser's continued contributions as OIC Surrey.
I would like to express my gratitude and admiration for Deputy Commissioner Bass and Assistant Commissioner Macintyre, who have dedicated 39 and 38 years respectively to the RCMP, for their many significant contributions throughout their long and distinguished careers, most recently over the last four years as the Commanding Officer and Criminal Operations Officer in our largest Division.
They have individually and together provided strong leadership and have set an incredible example of hard work and dedication which will provide a sound basis on which the new management team in "E" Division will build. I am very appreciative of their ongoing work to ensure that when they retire from the RCMP they will leave the Force well positioned to build on their legacy and to meet the many challenges ahead.
I would also like to recognize and thank Assistant Commissioner Bud Mercer for his leadership and contributions over his long and distinguished career. Having served for almost 35 years and after leading our very successful efforts to provide security for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Bud has announced his intentions to retire from the RCMP.
Please join me in congratulating all those being promoted and taking on new responsibilities, in welcoming Norm Lipinski to the RCMP, and in extending best wishes to Gary, Al and Bud.
The appointments being announced today will significantly contribute to our ongoing, concerted and united efforts to bring about positive change in the RCMP.
Additional changes to our Senior Management Team will be made in the near future to address current and anticipated vacancies, including those resulting from the appointments being announced today.
I count on each of you for your support and for your ongoing contributions.
William Elliott
Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner Federal and International Policing, Bob Paulson, O.O.M.
Assistant Commissioner Bob Paulson joined the RCMP in 1986 in Chilliwack B.C. Prior to joining the RCMP, Mr. Paulson spent almost seven years in the Canadian Armed Forces.
From 1986 to 2005, Mr. Paulson served in various locations in British Columbia doing municipal, provincial and federal policing. This includes work in E Division's unsolved homicide unit, aboriginal and community policing, and investigating organized crime.
In 2005, he transferred to National Headquarters in Ottawa, where he served as Executive Director, Major and Organized Crime Intelligence Branch, Director General, National Security Criminal Operations, Assistant Commissioner National Security Criminal Investigations and Assistant Commissioner Contract and Aboriginal Policing Services.
Assistant Commissioner Paulson is the father of a son and two daughters.
Deputy Commissioner, Commanding Officer, "E" Division, Peter Hourihan, B.Admin, LL.B
Assistant Commissioner Peter Hourihan, joined the RCMP in 1976 in Calgary Alberta. He has served in Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, National Headquarters in Ottawa, Manitoba and Alberta. He has experience in General Duties, Traffic, Commercial Crime, Proceeds of Crime, Northern Policing, Corporate Management and Criminal Operations. Mr. Hourihan served as Criminal Operations Officer in Manitoba, and most recently in Alberta as Assistant Commissioner, Criminal Operations Officer.
Assistant Commissioner Hourihan has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Athabasca University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa.
Assistant Commissioner Hourihan is married to Donna and they have a son and a daughter.
Deputy Commissioner West, Peter M. German, O.O.M, LL.M., Ph.D.
A member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for 29 years beginning in Halifax, Assistant Commissioner German has worked on uniform and plainclothes duties across Canada. He was assigned to Commercial Crime Sections at Vancouver and Ottawa, where he was a Detective Inspector charged with major fraud and corruption investigations. He has served as the RCMP's Director General of Financial Crime and, most recently, the RCMP's District Commander for the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
A lawyer and member of the Ontario and British Columbia bars, Mr. German practiced law as a Crown prosecutor and criminal defence counsel. He holds graduate degrees in law and political science, including a doctorate in law from the University of London, and is the author of Proceeds of Crime and Money Laundering. He is currently Vice-President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.
Assistant Commissioner German is married to Louise and they have two daughters.
Assistant Commissioner Craig Callens, Criminal Operations Officer, "E" Division
After graduating from the University of Regina, Chief Superintendent Craig Callens joined the RCMP in 1985, following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps. From training at Depot, Mr. Callens was posted to a variety of communities in British Columbia's North, Southeast and Lower Mainland districts, as well as to "E" Division headquarters.
Throughout his service, Callens has been engaged primarily in duties related to major criminal investigation, homicide and crimes against persons and has held senior operational command positions at the municipal, regional and provincial level. Most recently, Mr. Callens has been the Deputy Criminal Operations Officer (Contract Policing) in "E" Division.
Chief Superintendent Callens has two university age children.
Assistant Commissioner Norm Lipinski, Lower Mainland District Commander, "E" Division
Mr. Norm Lipinski comes to the RCMP from the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), where, most recently, he was Deputy Police Chief in charge of the Community Policing Bureau. As a member of the EPS since 1978, he has worked in such areas as Patrol, Tactical, Crime Scene Examination, Sex Crimes, Recruit Training and Staff Development. He has also served in Special Projects, Executive Services Human Resources, Finance & Supply Services, Informatics and Training.
Mr. Lipinski was project leader for two significant organizational reviews for the Edmonton Police Service. He was project leader of the Pursuit Review Committee which developed new policies and training techniques. As project leader of the Professionalism Committee, Lipinski also helped implement ongoing ethical training and the inclusion of an ethical component in all EPS courses, as well as the formation of an Ethics Committee.
Mr. Lipinski obtained his MBA (2000), Bachelor of Laws Degree (2003) and was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 2004.
He is married to Lynda Steele.
Assistant Commissioner Marianne Ryan, Criminal Operations Officer, "K" Division
Following her graduation from University of Western Ontario, Assistant Commissioner Marianne Ryan joined the RCMP over 28 years ago in London Ontario. She spent the first 19 years of her service in Manitoba, carrying out various operational uniform and plainclothes duties. She has extensive operational police experience at the local, national and international levels leading major investigations targeting organized crime groups involved in drugs, proceeds of crime and organized crime.
Among her posts, Ms. Ryan served as Chief Officer for Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC). With a mandate to disrupt organized and serious crime in British Columbia, she managed a large integrated unit of seconded police resources from the RCMP, municipal police departments and the Organized Crime Agency.
Most recently, Assistant Commissioner Ryan was Human Resources Officer for the Pacific Region. In this role, she has the responsibility and oversight of all human resource related issues for all employees in the Pacific Region.
Assistant Commissioner W. Fraser MacRae M.O.M., Officer in Charge Surrey Detachment
Chief Superintendent Fraser MacRae joined the RCMP in Regina in 1976 and, following training, was posted to the Lower Mainland of British Columbia where he has served in North Vancouver, Burnaby, Ridge-Meadow and Surrey Detachment. He also spent 17 years at "E" Division Headquarters, working on high-profile serious crime and drug investigations.
As Officer in Charge of Surrey Detachment, he heads the largest RCMP Detachment in Canada with 640 police officers and 250 civilian support staff.
Chief Superintendent MacRae is a member of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police.
He and his wife Debbie and have three sons and a daughter.
