Medicine Hat police hires new deputy chief

Saini has a Master’s degree in public safety and is working on a doctorate for the same field.

Chief Alan Murphy said Saini’s administrative, operational and professional experience will be an asset to Medicine Hat’s police department.

“It’s always good to have someone in the police service that comes in from the outside, sees things with a different set of eyes and some different experiences in policing,” Murphy told CHAT News.

“That only benefits this organization,” he added.

Murphy said he didn’t have to “sell” Medicine Hat to attract Saini to the city because it already has many positive attributes.

“People get to a certain point in their career and they’re ready for a change or ready for something different and I think he was in that space like I was when I came here,” Murphy said.

The city’s offerings, including outdoor spaces, trails and many community activities, makes it a great place to live, the chief said.

“This community is probably too hard on itself at times,” he added.

“There’s a lot to offer here. I saw that, and clearly deputy chief Saini saw that as well.”

During his time at the Brantford police, Saini was a major crime investigator before leading the division. He was also part of the guns and gangs unit.

In Nelson, Saini has served as deputy chief for a community of about 11,000, where he gained experience in the administrative side of policing, Murphy said.

Saini will as Medicine Hat’s deputy chief oversee operations and the investigation team once he starts in January.

First deputy since 2016

When Medicine Hat’s last deputy police chief, Rick Wigle, retired in January 2016, the service shifted to having a chief and three inspectors.

The inspectors each led one of the administrative, operational or support service divisions.

To save money post-pandemic, the police service cut one of the inspector roles, along with the administrative division.

After two years, it was determined having one less inspector put too much of a strain on the remaining two, a spokesperson told CHAT News in July.

A third officer was requested and approved by the police commission and council during the 2023-24 budget process.

It was left up to the chief if the third officer would be an inspector or deputy chief role.

Once Murphy was appointed as the new chief of police, he spent time evaluating the structure of the organization, according to the spokesperson.

Murphy determined that a deputy chief is preferred as it “allows for improved oversight for the service and offers an enhanced opportunity for succession planning for future leadership positions,” the spokesperson added.

by Eli J. Ridder, Jayk Sterkenburg

Medicine Hat police hires new deputy chief

First deputy since 2016

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