Norm Lipinski, who was fired as chief of Surrey Police Service (SPS) on Monday, has written a letter to his fellow members of the SPS.

CityNews obtained a copy of the letter where he noted that his dismissal came after he returned from a vacation saying it was, “not the way I hoped my time with the Surrey Police Service would come to an end.”

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He also noted that he was notified the Surrey Police Board was terminating him without cause.

Lipinski states that he will leave with “immense pride” in what the SPS accomplished together in extraordinarily challenging circumstances.

“Building a new police service from the ground up and reaching ‘Police of Jurisdiction’ status is, without question, the proudest achievement of my 48 years in policing. That milestone was only possible because of the professionalism, dedication, and resilience demonstrated by every member of this organization,” he said.

He continues to talk about how much he will reflect on the people he worked with at SPS and over his career. He doesn’t focus on numbers, projects, or the achievements – but the people.

“Those are the memories that will stay with me.”

He finished his letter by stating it had been an “honour to serve alongside” the other members of the SPS.

“It has truly been the privilege of a lifetime.”