Outspoken New Brunswick police chief retiring after tumultuous five-year term

The outspoken chief of the Saint John Police Force is retiring, following a five-tear tenure that was marked by formal harassment complaints against him by several officers.

In a statement posted on the police force’s website, Robert Bruce says he will retire in July.

He says when he was hired for the job 2021 he was prepared to lead the organization through a significant transformation into a more modern and responsive service.

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But he says there were many challenges to overcome, including a “systematic resistance to change,” a restrictive collective agreement and frequent changes within the senior ranks.

In September, the association representing municipal police in New Brunswick confirmed members of the Saint John Police Force had filed nine harassment complaints against him.

The association did not release details of the complaints, but last month Bruce dismissed most of them as “disappointing and predictable.”