NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE SERVICE
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The Bradford West Gwillimbury/Innisfil Police Services Board is pleased to announce that Deputy Chief John Van Dyke has been selected as the next chief of police for the South Simcoe Police Service.
“Chief-designate Van Dyke brings 34 years of policing experience to the role and has the strong, supportive qualities required to lead the service forward. He has demonstrated integrity and commitment to members and the communities we serve. We are excited about the future of the service,” said Chris Gariepy, chair of the Bradford West Gwillimbury/Innisfil Police Services Board.
Chief-designate Van Dyke was born and raised in Bradford and still has very strong family ties to the community that was his home for 25 years. His roots in Bradford West Gwillimbury run deep, with his grandparents immigrating to Canada from the Netherlands in 1929 and settling in the Holland Marsh to farm.
Chief-designate Van Dyke joined the Bradford Police Force on Jan. 20, 1989 as an auxiliary constable and then as a full-time constable in October of that year. Since that time he has enjoyed assignments as constable in front-line patrol, community services and criminal investigations, before being promoted to sergeant in 2001, staff sergeant in 2006, inspector in 2016, and deputy chief in 2020.
Chief-designate Van Dyke has proven leadership abilities across all areas of the organization. He has supervised a variety of units within the service, and is a graduate of the Rotman School of Management’s police leadership program.
“I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead this organization and serve our communities as the chief of police. I look forward to working with our members and community partners to meet the challenges of modern policing. I want to thank the Bradford West Gwillimbury/Innisfil Police Services Board for having the trust and confidence in choosing me as the next chief of police, and for their ongoing support to our organization,” said Chief-designate Van Dyke.
Chief-designate Van Dyke succeeds Chief Andrew Fletcher, who retired on Sept. 30, 2022, after more than 38 years of policing. A date for the swearing-in ceremony will be announced shortly.
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