The Vancouver police department has lost another veteran to another department.

The VPD announced today that deputy chief Bob Rich is leaving to become chief of the Abbotsford police department. He assumes his new position in mid-July.

Rich, a former Vancouver Police Union president and the deputy in charge of operations for the past five years, is the second high-ranking VPD officer to leave in the past year to head a different department.

Last summer, Kash Heed left to become chief of the West Vancouver police department. Heed lost a competition to become chief to Jim Chu, who was featured on the cover of the Georgia Straight last month.

Rich came second to Jamie Graham in the competition to replace Terry Blythe as the police chief in 2002. Rich has a law degree and played a major role in persuading Vancouver city council to increase the police budget in recent years.

In a VPD news release issued today, the department stated that Vancouver's property-crime rate is down 25 percent from where it was when Rich became deputy chief of operations five years ago.