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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