The sudden retirement of former Peterborough Police Services chief Scott Gilbert was the dominant topic of discussion during a virtual media briefing held Thursday morning (February 10).
Taking questions were Peterborough Police Services Board chair Les Kariunas and acting police chief Tim Farquharson, the latter named to that role following the former chief’s retirement, announced on February 4, that took effect February 7.
“He (Gilbert) came to us (the police board) to retire, we accepted that, and we wished him best of luck — the time was quick but that’s what we did,” said Kariunas, who refused any comment on a media report that alleged Gilbert was the subject of officially filed complaints.
“I know everybody’s concerned about the suddenness,” Kariunas acknowledged. “Yes, it is sudden but we’re dealing with it very well. From the board side, there’s no need for an investigation. There’s no investigation required going forward. That’s all I want to say at this point.”
“That (Gilbert’s retirement) was something the board had to take seriously and had to act very quickly on. He had been here for 3 and a half years and felt that moving forward was something that was personally in his cards. We (the board) wish him the best of luck.”
Gilbert became the ninth chief of the Peterborough Police Service in July 2018, replacing Murray Rodd who retired after 35 years with the service, including 10 years as chief. Before coming to Peterborough, Gilbert was a long-time member of Toronto Police Service.
As to the question of whether a pay-out was offered Gilbert, Kariunas admitted there “have been precedents for that” but, citing the service’s human resources policies, said he can’t discuss that as it pertains to Gilbert.
“We (the board) had every confidence in the chief going forward but he decided to retire. We did a KPMG study where there were online surveys, there were one-on-ones, and there were group-focused surveys on an anonymous and confidential basis. Overall we felt that we were moving forward in a positive way. From the entire service as a whole, there was generally satisfaction.”
“I can’t say for everybody in the service whether there were complaints or not, but we did our diligence to ensure we were moving forward in a positive way. The chief decided to retire so now we have to move forward in that way.”
Placed suddenly into the top cop role was Farquharson who, since 2012, has served as deputy police chief.
“On Friday, I was told the chief had decided to retire. The board chair (Kariunas) spoke to me and asked if I’d be interested in the acting role while they conduct a search (for a new chief). I said ‘Absolutely, I’ll take that challenge on.'”
The search process, said Kariunas, will begin with the next Police Services Board meeting.
“We have to dust off previous process and review it and sharpen it up and go forward,” he said.
“We’re discussing the search process but we’re certainly committed to not only internal candidates coming forward but external (candidates) as well. There’s a process for that as there was in 2018 (when Gilbert was hired).”
“We don’t have an acting deputy chief right now,” Kariuna said, referring to Farquharson’s new role as acting chief. “That leaves us obviously with a gap. That kind of pressures us to move on this quick. We want to get through this process as quickly as possible.”
For his part, Farquharson says he hasn’t considered putting his name forward as a candidate for the top job.
“Honestly, I haven’t time to think about and I hadn’t thought about it before that,” he said. “I don’t know what next week or next month will bring. I haven’t even talked to my family about what future plans are. I’m concentrating now on the day-to-day operations and supporting an incredible service.”
“We’ve taken, and are going to continue to take, the time to connect internally with our members. Obviously when things like this happen, it’s sudden but we have incredible people. They come to work every day to work. I would say, by going around to the shifts, that everybody is ready to hit the ground running and keep going.”
The media briefing was originally called to provide details on the Peterborough Police Service “moving forward, highlighting upcoming projects, goals and challenges.”
While Kariunas did provide a state of-the-union-type overview as an introduction, all of the subsequent media questions centred on Gilbert’s retirement, and the circumstances around that, as well as acting chief Farquharson’s acceptance of the interim position and his focus moving forward.
