REGINA - The Public Complaints Commission is reviewing a complaint filed by a community member against Regina Police Chief Farooq Sheikh.
He has temporarily been removed from active service. Deputy Chief, Lorilee Davies, will be the interim Acting Police Chief.
In a release issued Friday morning by the Board of Police Commissioners, Chairperson Yashu Bither said the board takes complaints seriously and has a duty to protect public confidence in the Regina Police Service while the PCC investigates.
In order to ensure the integrity and independence of the investigation, in accordance with the Police Act, 1990, the board has directed that Chief Sheikh be temporarily removed from active service until the PCC completes its work, stated the release.
The release also stated no further comment will be made by the board on the matter while the investigation is ongoing. The Board of Police Commissioners will be notified once the PCC has completed its investigation, said the release, and the public will be updated accordingly.
The Public Complaints Commission is a five-person, non-police body appointed by the government. It is responsible to professionally and independently address any complaint made by a member of the public against a municipal police service or a municipal police officer.
Sheikh was named the 15th Chief of the Regina Police Service by the Board of Police Commissioners in November of 2023. He came to the Regina Police Service from the Alberta Sheriff’s Service where he’d held the position of chief since 2021.
Sheikh has more than three decades experience in law enforcement, serving in senior leadership roles for the London Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police in the United Kingdom and as a member with both the Calgary and Central Saanich Police Services.
