Questions are being raised about the Vancouver police investigating one of their own officers.

Veteran officer and KidsPlay founder Const. Kal Dosanjh is facing criminal charges following a more than two-year investigation led by the Vancouver Police Department.

Dosanjh, well known for charitable work linked to the Kids Play foundation, was arrested at a controlled traffic stop in Surrey, B.C., last week after what Vancouver police described as a covert investigation of more than two years, related to housing developments.

In a related development, vancouver police say numerous alleged victims contacted investigators, and 19 people have conveyed losses of more than $3 million between 2017 and 2025.

On the other hand, his lawyer, Joven Narwal, says having the department investigate one of its own officers raises concerns about independence and objectivity.

“Last week, the institution Mr. Dosanjh has served for his entire professional life revealed that it had been investigating him through its own investigators,” Narwal declared in a statement on Tuesday morning.

Furthermore, “That raises legitimate concerns about investigative independence, objectivity and the safeguards used when a police department investigates one of its own members, particularly in a case the department itself has framed as a matter of public trust.

“Mr. Dosanjh unequivocally denies any wrongdoing. He is presumed innocent, and that presumption must be respected regardless of the prominence of the allegations or the manner in which the charges were proclaimed.”

Lawyer Ravi Hira, KC, with Hira Rowan LLP, told Global News that when police investigate themselves, it can come with some challenges.

Additionally, “The reason why we don’t want police investigating themselves is that there is a public perception, rightly or wrongly, of bias,” he noted.

When asked if there was a potential conflict of interest, Vancouver police Chief Steve Rai declared that after the department received information in December 2023 from multiple victims alleging criminal activity involving Dosanjh, he initiated an investigation into the actions and a dedicated investigative team was established.

“From the outset, we took immediate steps to protect and support the victims by embedding a dedicated victim and witness management team within the investigation, while ensuring the allegations were thoroughly and properly investigated,” Rai stated in a statement on Friday.

It is worth noting that “Consistent with our commitment to accountability and transparency, we notified the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner (OPCC) at the outset of the investigation.”

Former Vancouver police officer and solicitor general, Kash Heed, mentioned keeping the investigation in-house made sense.

“It made complete sense given the sensitivity that Vancouver kept it in-house,” he noted.

In the broader context, “I think Chief Rai made the right decision to go with it; he’s got the resources, he had the technology, the investigative skills within to deal with it.”

-with files from The Canadian Press