Jackie George says it probably didn’t take much to convince former city police chief Robert Herman to come out of retirement.
Herman will take over as interim deputy chief for the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service on April 16, less than a year after retiring from the city force.
George, NAPS spokeswoman, said it can be difficult to be away from policing.
“When you’re away from it for awhile you certainly do miss it. Your reason for getting into policing in the first place is to help people,” George said.
And that’s exactly what Herman will be doing.
NAPS needs its current $27.5 million budget to increase by more than $9 million over the next two years.
But the force, which receives its funding from the federal and provincial governments, expects cuts.
It’s hoping Herman can use his knowledge and contacts to track down more funding opportunities George said.
“We’re going to need some assistance with an experiences person to navigate through those issues of funding,” she said.
Herman will also be overseeing police and civilian operations for NAPS in all of the 35 communities the force is in.
He is expected to stay in the position for a year until a permanent person can be found.
