Police departments and public figures across British Columbia are taking to social media to pay tribute to a former Lower Mainland officer who was killed in a head-on collision in Nanaimo over the weekend.

In a tweet, Abbotsford Police Chief Mike Serr described the death of retired Sgt. Shinder Kirk as losing a family member.

"Yesterday our (Abbotsford police) family lost a brother," Serr wrote. "We are there for Shinder's family during this very difficult time. I had the pleasure of working with Shinder at the Integrated Gang Task Force and Abby PD. A true gentlemen who will be missed…Rest in Peace brother."

News of the 59-year-old's death also prompted posts by Premier John Horgan and Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson, both of whom noted the importance of Kirk's work against gang violence and extended their condolences to his family.

"My heart is with everyone grieving the loss of retired Abbotsford police officer Shinder Kirk," Horgan wrote. "He was a warm and caring man, dedicated to fighting gang violence, and a much admired leader in the South Asian community. My condolences to his family, friends and Abbotsford Police force."

According to Mounties in Nanaimo, Kirk was driving west on Cedar Road at around 1:50 p.m. on Saturday when his Chevrolet pickup truck collided with an older model Ford pickup travelling in the opposite direction.

The former police officer was pronounced dead at the scene. Two passengers who were in Kirk's truck were airlifted to hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, the RCMP said.

A 22-year-old man driving the Ford and a woman who was in the vehicle with him sustained only minor injuries.

The BC Coroners Service was called to the scene.

Kirk was a prominent officer, working as a long-time spokesperson of the Abbotsford Police Department and then the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia.

He was the spokesperson during a time of active gang violence in the Lower Mainland and would make frequent television news appearances to speak about the gang war involving the Red Scorpions and the United Nations gang.

He retired as a police officer but was stationed in the APD as a Commissionaire.

Those forces and other departments, including Ridge Meadows RCMP, Port Moody police and the West Vancouver Police Department, paid tribute to Kirk following the news of his death.

Investigators do not believe alcohol or speed were factors in the crash that killed him, but have not ruled out inclement weather and poor road conditions.

Both trucks are undergoing mechanical inspections as Mounties work to determine the cause of the collision.