Regina Police Service says ‘business as usual’ since chief’s temporary leave

WATCH: On Tuesday. The Regina Police Service held its first board meeting since Police Chief Farooq Sheikh placed on leave.

The Regina Police Service (RPS) held its first board meeting Tuesday morning since chief Farooq Sheikh was placed on leave in early April.

Sheikh was temporarily removed from active service after the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) reported a complaint was made by a community member.

• Regina’s Chief of Police temporarily removed from active service

After Tuesday’s meeting, Regina’s Acting Chief of Police Lorilee Davies said while the service has no new information to provide due to the matter being investigated by the PCC and the Board of Police Commissioners, it remains “dedicated to community safety.”

“I think any time that there is sort of that uncertainty, it does create concern within the organization, but we’ve certainly done our best to say, ‘Hey, it’s business as usual,’” she told media.

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“We have a job to do for our community. Let’s get out there and ensure we are doing the best that we can in terms of holding offenders accountable, being proactive and being visible in the community. I think for the most part, things have been going quite well.”

As required by the Police Act, Sheikh will continue to be paid while away from active service throughout the ongoing investigation.

In a statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that the PCC will not be releasing any additional details during its active investigation.

“The duty status of any police officer is outside of the mandate of the PCC, and any questions regarding duty status can be directed to RPS or the Regina Board of Police Commissioners,” the Ministry’s statement read.

“The Public Complaints Commission is responsible for ensuring that both the public and police receive a fair and thorough investigation of a complaint against the municipal police or an investigation of a possible criminal offence by a municipal police officer.”

The Board of Police Commissioners will be notified once the PCC’s investigation has been completed, according to a news release from April 4.