Insp. Steve Ing, a 25-year veteran of the Victoria Police Department, will take over from Deputy Chief John Ducker, who retires Sept. 1.
Announcing the promotion on Wednesday, police Chief Jamie Graham described Ing as “scary smart” and ready for the new job.
“He just brings so much to the table,” Graham said. “His legal expertise benefits the organization and the citizens here greatly. He has an analytical mind. He gets through issues really fast. He gets the big picture issues. He understands the disciplinary aspects we have to deal with, rarely, here.”
Ing, 49, has a law degree from the University of British Columbia.
Currently the officer in charge of executive services and professional standards, he has risen through the ranks at the police department and served on the police union executive as vice-president and president. His policing experience includes operations, administration, investigations, patrol supervision and police labour relations.
In 2003, Ing was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Meritorious Service Medal for his role in rescuing a suicidal woman from a fifth-storey ledge of a building.
In addition to being a critical- incident commander, Ing has trained and qualified in the U.K. as a Public Order Commander, a position that involves front-line command of a crowd-management unit, according to his official biography.
During a three-year secondment to the provincial government, he served as the deputy director to the Civil Forfeiture Office.
Ing, who described himself as a hands-on type of manager, said one of the most challenging issues heading into the next few years will be resources.
“Budget is a huge issue for all municipalities and all departments within municipalities — not just police departments,” he said.
Victoria council, in an effort to cap property tax increases at 3.25 per cent in each of the next two years, has set a two per cent budget increase for police — leaving little room to do anything but meet expected salary increases.
The department, with a budget of $43.7 million, has 243 officers and eight jailers. Ing said everyone is working hard.
“Victoria PD continually, in the province, carries one of the highest per officer case burdens; highest per officer criminal code load burdens, and I know what it’s like from when I worked through as a duty officer. So our officers are working flat out,” Ing said.
If efficiencies are to be found, they are going to have to be found in other areas, he said.
A divorced father of two adult daughters, Ing, who is in a committed relationship, likes to stay fit, read and play guitar. He has also served for the past 18 months as a voluntary aide-de-camp to the lieutenant-governor.
The Victoria Police Department has two deputy chiefs: One is responsible for operations, a position currently held by Deputy Chief Del Manak, and the other is in charge of administration.
