Chief of Police

Located in the heart of Cape Breton Island, the Cape Breton Regional Police Service (CBRPS) is one of only two full-service municipal police services in Nova Scotia, providing policing services to approximately 96,000 residents across the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Cape Breton County, and the Membertou First Nation. With approximately 200 sworn officers and 30 civilian employees responding to more than 80,000 calls for service annually, CBRPS is committed to delivering professional, community-focused policing. Guided by its vision of creating safe and healthy communities through leadership, partnership, and engagement, the Service is grounded in a commitment to ethics, professionalism, accountability, transparency, inclusion, diversity, and collaboration.

Following the retirement of Chief Robert Walsh, a national search has commenced for a successor. Reporting to the Cape Breton Regional Municipal Board of Police Commissioners and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), the Chief will provide hands-on leadership and guidance to the Service’s 230 members. The Chief will ensure the Service continually assesses community needs, builds partnerships that advance community safety, and explores innovative approaches to addressing crime and disorder. You will be an engaged and visible member of the community, working with the Board, the CAO, Council, the Police Association, community organizations and other police organizations, to address the challenges facing this geographically dispersed community.

Pivotal to the Service’s effectiveness and success in serving the community, superior judgment and an openness to new ideas will be key in managing issues and relationships, both internally and externally. The new Chief will bring to the role a distinguished track record as a seasoned police executive, known for an innovative, business-oriented approach to the delivery of police services. Success will require that the Chief embrace an overall vision for the Service, ensure that vision is meaningful to all members of the Service, and establish priorities that will make the vision a day-to-day reality. Experience within a leadership role in a modern, progressive police service, with a commitment to best practices in human resources and financial management will be essential. Above all, you will be an enthusiastic, supportive and trusted leader with the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.

To Apply

To fill this position, Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) & Cape Breton Regional Police Service (CBRPS) has partnered with leadership advisory firm Odgers. Applications are encouraged immediately and should be submitted online ideally by November 23, 2026 at https://careers.odgers.com/en-ca/32108

We would like to thank all applicants but regret that we are only able to personally contact those individuals whose backgrounds best match the requirements for the role.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Guided by Employment Equity principles, the CBRM & CBRPS encourage applications from members of designated groups, including but not limited to Indigenous peoples, people of African descent, other racially visible persons, persons with disabilities, women in underrepresented occupations or positions, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

Odgers is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all the work that we do. As part of our efforts to better understand our ability to reach as broad a pool of candidates as possible for our searches, our DEI team would like to encourage you to take a moment and access our Self-Declaration Form.