August 5, 2021
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Assistant Commissioner Ches Parsons, Commanding Officer of RCMP Newfoundland and Labrador, will take on a new role within the RCMP effective Monday, August 9, 2021. After leading the RCMP here in his home province for nearly three years, Assistant Commissioner Parsons will assume leadership of RCMP National Division in Ottawa as its Commanding Officer. National Division contributes to the protection of Canada's national interests through its dual mandates: Sensitive and International Investigations and Protective Operations. See the Backgrounder below for further details.
"It has been an honour to lead the RCMP in the province where I was born and raised," said Assistant Commissioner Parsons. "My departure is certainly bittersweet. There is no finer team of dedicated police officers and employees than those we have right here in Newfoundland and Labrador, led by an exceptional senior management team. I will greatly miss them all."
During his tenure as Commanding Officer, the priorities of Assistant Commissioner Parsons included the wellbeing of police officers and all employees, the strengthening of relationships with community partners, serious and organized crime and ensuring RCMP police officers have the equipment and the support they need to provide an effective policing service to the residents and communities of Newfoundland and Labrador.
"I am proud of what has been achieved over these past three years and look now, with great anticipation, to continuing my service with the RCMP as Commanding Officer of National Division. This is an exciting opportunity that brings me back to Ottawa and into the realm of protecting Canada's national interests,' said Assistant Commissioner Parsons.
Chief Superintendent Deanna Hill, current Officer in Charge of RCMP Criminal Operations for Newfoundland and Labrador, will become Acting Commander Officer on August 9, 2021. See biographies in the Backgrounder below.
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Contact information
Glenda Power
Director of Strategic Communications
RCMP NL
709-772-7334, 709-691-1615
rcmp.nl.media-medias.tnl.grc@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Backgrounder
RCMP National Division Mandates
As the RCMP's newest Division established in April 2013, National Division (ND) contributes to the protection of Canada's national interests through its dual mandates:
Sensitive and International Investigations (SII)
This section focuses its expertise on sensitive and international investigations around matters threatening Canada's interests, such as those directed towards the institutions of government, political officials, the integrity of the Crown, or otherwise imperil Canada's political, social and economic integrity. SII also focuses on cybercrime and extra territorial investigations where Canadians are victimized abroad.
Protective Operations
Protective Operations are responsible for the protection of the Prime Minister, Governor General, Ministers of the Crown, designated Supreme and Federal court judges, Internationally Protected Persons, as well as others designated by the Minister of Public Safety as requiring protection. They also provide protection for various federal properties throughout the National Capital Region, such as the Prime Minister's and the Governor General's official residences, and enforce traffic on federal roadways in the National Capital Region.
Biographies
Assistant Commissioner Ches Parsons
Assistant Commissioner Ches W. Parsons became the 19th Commanding Officer of RCMP Newfoundland and Labrador in October, 2018. This posting brought him back home to Newfoundland and Labrador. He grew up in the community of Curling on the west coast. He graduated from Herdman Collegiate in Corner Brook and then from Memorial University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree prior to attending the RCMP Academy at Depot in Regina, Saskatchewan.
His 34-year career with the RCMP has brought him to Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Ontario, and internationally on deployments into Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. He has worked extensively with diverse populations, serving Canadians in a variety of capacities. He worked for many years with First Nations and Métis communities in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Assistant Commissioner Parsons' operational policing roles have included Serious and Organized Crime, National Security, and Major Crimes. He was also a member and Team Commander of the Emergency Response Team in Yellowknife for some ten years. He worked in the field of national security for 17 years, most recently as the Director General of Federal Policing National Security.
Assistant Commissioner Parsons is a life-long volunteer. He has been active in community service in all his postings and he is a proud member of the Royal Canadian Legion.
He assumes the role of Commanding Officer of RCMP National Division on August 9, 2021.
Chief Superintendent Deanna Hill
Chief Superintendent Deanna Hill will assume leadership of RCMP Newfoundland and Labrador as Acting Commanding Officer effective August 9, 2021. In her 31-year career with the RCMP, she has served in three provinces in various roles, most recently as the Officer responsible for RCMP Criminal Operations in this province.
Chief Superintendent Hill was born in Newfoundland and Labrador – her father served in the United States Navy in Argentia, when he met her mother. She grew up all over the United States but considers this province home. After high school, she attended Memorial University, receiving a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and linguistics. Upon graduation, she enrolled in the RCMP Training Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Her first posting was as a general duty police officer in Harbour Grace Detachment, followed by a transfer to Ontario where she worked in several Joint Force Operations, Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, Drug Section, Customs and Excise, the Immigration Task Force, and National Security. Chief Superintendent Hill has extensive experience as an undercover operator and was the first person to successfully use Canadian terrorism legislation to restrain and seize assets belonging to a terrorist group. She has lectured across the country on terrorist financing.
Prior to her posting back to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2017, she was the Officer in Charge of Intelligence and Support Services with RCMP New Brunswick. Upon transferring to this province, she served as the RCMP NL Federal Criminal Operations Officer responsible for Serious and Organized Crime, Financial Crime, National Security, Border and Covert/Support Services. She currently serves as the Atlantic Region lead on Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, responsible for coordinating intelligence and enforcement strategies on disrupting these groups. She began acting in the role of Criminal Operations Officer in 2020 and was promoted to the role in May, 2021.
Chief Superintendent Hill has been recognized with two awards for her work in National Security – the 2015 Law Enforcement Professional of the Year Award in Ontario and the Queens Diamond Jubilee award. She has been active in her community throughout her career raising funds for various charities and in league sports.
While the RCMP has afforded Chief Superintendent Hill many rewarding opportunities, being posted to Newfoundland and Labrador is the highlight of her career.
