VicPD arrest New Westminster police officer in alleged sexual assault

A New Westminster police officer has been charged with sexual assault in connection with an incident alleged to have occurred in Victoria in 2005.

Const. Sukhwinder “Vinnie” Dosanjh was arrested in Victoria Tuesday by members of the Victoria Police Department after an investigation into the alleged incident, the New Westminster Police Department (NWPD) said Wednesday. The incident is alleged to have occurred while Dosanjh was off-duty.

Dosanjh is facing one count of sexual assault. He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Victoria on Aug. 17 at 2 p.m.

A photo of Dosanjh in 2007. Credit: Canadian Police Association

He was suspended from duty after being released from custody. Dosanjh will be subject to a parallel Police Act investigation. The NWPD has notified Dosanjh that they will be considering the conditions of his suspension from duty and the provisions of an unpaid suspension.

“This is always concerning when a police officer is accused of a criminal offence, especially one as serious as this,” NWPD Deputy Chief Const. Dave Jansen said in the statement.

“The New Westminster Police is committed to maintaining public trust and accountability and within the bounds of what due process allows, we will be as transparent on this process as we can. In spite of this allegation against one of our members, the women and men of this Department remain committed to providing professional service to the members of this community.”

The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner was advised about the allegation during the early stages of the investigation and have been monitoring since that time.

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