Vancouver police officer who runs Surrey children’s foundation denies fraud and theft allegations

Kal Dosanjh, a Vancouver Police Department officer and the founder and CEO of Surrey-based KidsPlay Foundation, has denied all allegations against him after being charged with fraud, theft and breach of trust by a public officer.

In a statement issued through his lawyer, Joven Narwal, Dosanjh said he would defend himself fully in court and had confidence in his legal counsel and the Canadian justice system. He said he would allow the evidence and facts to speak for themselves.

Dosanjh has worked for the Vancouver Police Department for more than 25 years, including as a senior detective in its financial crimes unit. Charges were laid Sept. 3, and the department released further details the following day.

Police said a two-and-a-half-year covert investigation found that 19 victims lost a total of $3 million. Most were community members and investors connected to Dosanjh and his co-accused, Surrey resident Sarabjit Singh Gill. Police said the two men were business associates when the alleged offences occurred and that most charges relate to housing developments.

Gill and Dosanjh are jointly charged in relation to January 2017 offences with three counts of fraud and three counts of theft over $5,000. Police executed search warrants at KidsPlay Foundation in Surrey on Thursday, Sept. 3, and confirmed that some charges relate to the charity, without providing further details.

Dosanjh said he has spent more than 26 years serving the community and intends to continue supporting it. He founded KidsPlay in 2015 after working for 15 years on patrol in the Downtown Eastside, where he saw children from disadvantaged backgrounds without the same opportunities as others in the city. He began organizing after-work sports programs for inner-city children through the police athletic league before bringing the initiative to Surrey. The foundation was created to help keep children away from drugs, gangs and violence.

Narwal questioned the integrity of an investigation conducted by Dosanjh’s own employer, saying it raised legitimate concerns about independence, objectivity and safeguards when a police department investigates one of its members. He said the matter would now proceed through an open and independent court process, where the evidence, allegations and conduct of the investigation could be tested.

Asked whether the department faced a conflict of interest, VPD Chief Steve Rai said an investigation of this size and complexity required substantial resources and expertise. He said discussions with the RCMP about regional transition bodies and resources led to a collective decision that the VPD would retain the file.

Dosanjh was arrested in a controlled traffic stop in Surrey on Sept. 3 and later appeared at the Justice Centre at 5 p.m. He was released on conditions that prohibit him from acting as a police officer or exercising police authority or powers. Police also seized his service weapon. His next appearance is scheduled for Sept. 17 in Vancouver Provincial Court to set a date.