A senior Delta police officer has been suspended pending an outside investigation into his conduct in relation to at least one female would-be recruit, CTV News has learned.
Inspector Varun Naidu was taken off the job in late August while the Saanich Police Department looks into whether his actions, which include digital messages and in-person interactions with young women interested in policing in the province, were in violation of the Police Act.
Delta police confirmed the suspension, the investigation and the timeline, but didn’t name Naidu or the matter being investigated.
Delta’s Mayor Lois Jackson, who is also chair of the city’s police board, said the investigation is not criminal, and said it’s important not to rush to judgment.
“I just stand down and wait until the proper investigation, where people have brought forward the actual facts, and it’s hard to speculate until it’s finished,” Jackson told CTV News.
Naidu is a decorated 25 year veteran of the Delta Police, who ran the department’s emergency response team, and in April was awarded the Police Officer Commission from the Lieutenant Governor.
CTV News tried to reach Naidu over the phone and in person. Attempts to contact him by social media were unsuccessful as his LinkedIn page was taken offline mid-morning.
The Delta Police Department said it reached out to the officer in question and that officer declined to comment.
“Another police agency is leading this investigation to ensure it is fair and impartial. That agency has assigned a Discipline Authority who is in charge of the investigation. The Office of the Police Complaints Commission has oversight of this investigation,” wrote Delta PD spokesperson Cris Leykauf in a statement.
This comes on the heels of a harassment investigation at the Delta Police Department that resulted in two other suspensions earlier this year.
