The Deputy Commissioner's Office
Returns to Headquarters

IN COMMON WITH public services
and major industry, decentralization was
the keynote of the British Columbia Police
during the war. The Pacific Coast, being
a potential point Of attack for an ageres-
sor, had to be prepared to meet any
eventuality.

For this reason, while the Headquarters
of the Force remained at Victoria, it was
considered prudent to have a_ reserve
headquarters at Vancouver in charge of
the Deputy Commissioner of the Force.

The need for a senior executive officer
at Vancouver became also of paramount
importance on December 7th, 1941 when
Japan joined the Axis powers. Some
25,000 Japanese people had to be evacu-
ated from the coastal region and _ their
property administered.

The Dominion Government set up the
B. C. Security Commission comprising
three members, Major Austin ‘Vaylor,
chairman, with Assistant Commissioner
J. Mead of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police and Deputy Commissioner John
Shirras of the British Columbia Police.

These three commissioners set up in a
surprisingly short space of time, a highly
efficient organization which shepherded
the Japanese into redistribution centres,
and then sent them to interior points for
duration of the war. Displaced popula-
tions have always been a major problem in
wartime, but the transfer of 25,000 people
including children and aged persons, was
a monumental undertaking. Suitable ac-
commodation had to be constructed, and
services such as commissary, hospitaliza-
tion, education and so on had to be pro-
vided in remote areas. All this took place
when the entire country was being mobil-
ized for an all-out war effort. During this
trying period a great deal of property
including houses, farms, fishing boats,
cars, furniture and so forth had to be
safeguarded and catalogued for the own-
ers. The officers, N.C.O’s and men of
the Force, particularly those stationed
west of the Coast Range, deserve con-
siderable credit for their work in this
mass exodus. They made an orderly “‘re-
moval” possible, and also rendered a vital
service in gathering in the large Japanese
fishing fleets and assembling them at
points outside of the Vancouver and Vic-
toria areas.

In seeking re-location centres, Deputy
Commissioner Shirras for one, covered
thousands of miles by air to all parts of
Canada.

While Commissioner T. \W. S. Parsons,
OB.E., S.B-St.J., was the head of the
entire organization, his time was required

SEVENTEENTH EDITION

at Force Headquarters in Victoria, and
thus with Navy, Army and Air Force
Headquarters moving to Vancouver dur-
ing the war, the next senior executive
officer had to remain in Vancouver.
With the culmination of the war and
post-war readjustment, it was considered

ministrative and Personnel Officer, In-
spector C. Clark, have now been taken
over by the Deputy Commissioner, which
includes Headquarters Administration,
Personnel, Radio Yelephone and Tele-
graph Branch, Corps Archives, besides
his other duties.

Deputy Commissioner John Shirras.

necessary that the Deputy Commissioner’s
Office be moved to Force Headquarters
at Victoria, so that in the event either the
Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner
had to be away, there would be a senior
officer in command at all times.

The duties formerly held by the Ad-

Deputy Commissioner John Shirras has
a long and very interesting career. He
was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. After
he had completed his education he entered
the civil service. The law had always at-
tracted him and so he entered the prose-
cutor’s office as a “ Prosecutor’s fiscal” and

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