Saint John's new police chief says he is ready to take on new challenges

Saint John's new police chief says he's ready and excited to take on the challenges of the job and become an active, "value added" member of the community.

John Bates, who is currently the chief of police in Stratford, Ont., says some people may have reservations about his ability to come in as an outsider and lead a force in a city that's about twice as big with significant fiscal challenges.

But he says he "cut [his] teeth" in policing in Brantford, Ont., which is actually larger than Saint John, both in terms of its population and the size of the police force.

And after 21 years in Brantford, Bates took over in Stratford, first as deputy chief, and then as chief, where he managed to deliver surplus budgets for the past three years.

"So I'm not daunted," he told CBC's Information Morning Saint John on Thursday.

Bates, who is scheduled to start his new post on Nov. 9, says he plans to go in with his eyes and ears wide open.

"You can't just walk into a place and expect that people are going to instantly adopt you as their leader. You have to earn their respect, you have to earn their trust. That will be a challenge.

I think there's certain things in policing that are sort of globally, or nationally at least, of concern. And that's, of course, transparency of your policing service, economic fiscal responsibility, and, of course, the health and welfare of all first responders.- John Bates

"I've done it before, I look forward to doing it here …to earn the respect of not only the rank and file of the Saint John Police Force, but the community at large."

Bates says he looks forward to learning more about the specific concerns of "the citizens, the politicians and all those that live and play in Saint John.

"But in 2015, I think there's certain things in policing that are sort of globally, or nationally at least, of concern. And that's, of course, transparency of your policing service, economic fiscal responsibility, and, of course, the health and welfare of all first responders — whether they be police officer, fire, EMS — so that's always something that's going to be at the forefront for me."

Community groups in Stratford say their loss is Saint John's gain.

Ryan Erb, executive director of the United Way Perth-Huron, says Bates worked hard as co-chair of last year's campaign.

"His dedication to the community was not only to the United Way though. He served on a couple of other boards, and also the Children's Aid Society, while he was volunteering with us. So we're going to be sad to miss him."

Erb says Bates brought a new way of thinking to his role as police chief. Bates has a strong commitment to working with community groups as a way to prevent crime before it happens, he said.