Ottawa, June 19 (IANS): India-born Steve Rai has been appointed the new deputy chief of Canada's Vancouver Police Department, according to a media report.

Police chief Adam Palmer announced that Rai has joined the department’s executive team as the new deputy, Vancouver Courier reported on Thursday.

Born in Punjab but raised in this west coast seaport city of British Columbia state, Rai has been serving the department for the past 25 years.

"I'm proud for my father because he was another unsung hero. As an immigrant, he encouraged his kids to stay on the right path. And 25 years later, I’m standing here,” the report quoted Rai as saying at a press conference on Tuesday.

"I just wanted to come out and catch criminals and put them in jail... Never in my mind did I think 25 years later that I'd be standing here as the deputy chief," he added.

Vancouver is among Canada's densest and most ethnically diverse cities, which is home to a large number of Indian-origin people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited a temple and a gurdwara in the city in the final leg of his official visit to Canada in April this year.