Winnipeg's newly sworn in police chief vows to 'heal past wounds' with Indigenous community

Darren Bernhardt · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 1:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Gene Bowers was sworn successful Monday arsenic the 19th main of constabulary successful Winnipeg's history, vowing to enactment reconciliation, assemblage relations and the city's mental wellness crises astatine the forefront.

Bowers, who has been with the constabulary work for 36 years, was announced earlier this period arsenic the adjacent idiosyncratic to backmost the service. On Monday, astatine the location of the CFL's Blue Bombers, it became official.

"I judge the work this presumption carries and perpetrate to serving each citizens of Winnipeg successful a just and respectful manner," Bowers said moments after signing the oath of allegiance and office.

"Today's policing requires much than simply enforcing the law. It is astir serving with compassion, knowing and respect. We will, and should be, held accountable erstwhile we are wrong," helium said.

"When we marque mistakes, we volition beryllium transparent. We'll larn from them and bash better."

Mayor Scott Gillingham told Bowers helium has council's afloat enactment and trust to usher the constabulary work done the coming years.

"Being main of constabulary is 1 of the astir captious enactment roles successful our city. It carries with it immense responsibility, due to the fact that if radical don't consciousness safe, past everything other successful the metropolis is affected — businesses, families, communities, visitors," Gillingham said.

Markus Chambers, seat of the constabulary board, echoed those remarks, saying in order for a metropolis constabulary service to beryllium trusted, it must enactment with integrity, accountability and transparency.

"The main of constabulary sets the code for that dynamic," helium said.

Bowers coughed and paused respective times to pursuit backmost his affectional absorption arsenic helium spoke astir his begetter dying by termination arsenic a effect of intelligence wellness issues. Bowers was nine astatine the time.

The nonaccomplishment was "extremely difficult" but taught Bowers to persevere portion giving him the gifts of empathy, knowing and compassion for those who person besides mislaid loved ones to tragic events, helium said.

He believed becoming a constabulary serviceman would springiness him the accidental to assistance those suffering from trauma, and connected Monday, helium promised to bash that arsenic chief.

"I volition enactment towards community-based solutions to code issues related to intelligence wellness crises, to guarantee that professionally trained intelligence wellness practitioners are the ones responding to radical who are struggling with intelligence health, truthful that radical similar my begetter volition get the assistance they need," helium said.

Being raised by a azygous mother and facing fiscal struggles, Bowers said arsenic a young boy, helium was often astatine the borderline of making mediocre decisions. But he found operation successful athletics astatine assemblage centres.

"I americium surviving impervious that concern successful young radical during adolescence contributes to holistic improvement and the apt pursuit of a affirmative future," helium said.

He'll promote Winnipeg Police Service members to find opportunities to positively interaction younker done coaching and mentoring.

He vowed to promoted restorative justness initiatives, "particularly successful narration to the younker successful our city," by providing wraparound supports to support them retired of the justness system.

Bowers besides pledged to proceed the ongoing retail theft inaugural and to advocator for and enactment the assemblage groups that enactment to code nutrient insecurity, poorness and addictions.

During the aboriginal years of his career, which dates backmost to 1989, Bowers walked the bushed successful the Spence neighbourhood "and learned the existent worth of assemblage policing," helium said. 

"True healing and affirmative alteration comes from wrong the community," and each assemblage has its unsocial challenges, Bowers said.

"There is simply a request for our members and leaders to go much accessible and to physique stronger relationships."

That means reinvesting successful assemblage engagement and intelligence-led policing, being much contiguous successful the communities and responding to their needs, Bowers said. He promised much front-line policing and improved response times.

"Winnipeggers request to spot change. Violent transgression cannot beryllium tolerated," helium said.

"As chief, I garbage to judge the level of unit the metropolis is experiencing and volition guarantee a suppression strategy … to conscionable this situation head-on. The Winnipeg constabulary volition not beryllium spectators oregon hold for much citizens to beryllium victimized."

Among different things, Bowers promised to amended connection and workplace civilization with WPS members and establish a "diversity enactment circle" to code inclusion and guarantee the constabulary work is representative of the city's diversity.

Reconciliation

Bowers said he'll make the WPS a person successful reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples "to heal past wounds."

"And my eventual anticipation is that reconciliation volition beryllium woven into the cloth of our service."

He plans to consult Indigenous communities and organizations successful bid to make an Indigenous enactment ellipse "to facilitate dialogue, education and shared work to guarantee each Indigenous radical are heard, consciousness valued and, astir importantly, are safe."