RCMP boss denies 'clearing house'

RCMP Commissioner William Elliott acknowledges his relationship with a senior Mountie critical of his management style is "strained" but has denied this week's changes to the force's executive team is his way of"clearing house."

In an interview Friday on CBC's Power & Politics with Evan Solomon, Elliott said there has been no change to the status of Raf Souccar, deputy commissioner for federal policing, whom sources have said has been asked to leave the force.

But Elliottadded the force will make "further announcements in the near future with respect to further changes."

"I think it's fair to say that our relationship is strained, but we are working to move forward," Elliott said of Souccar.

Souccar was one of several senior RCMP officers who complained about Elliott tohigh-levelfederal government officials on two occasions in July. They accused Elliott, who became the first civilian to head the Mounties in July 2007, of being verbally abusive, closed-minded, arrogant and insulting.

'I'm a pretty extreme guy'

Elliottacknowledgedhis passion for his work and his desire to reform the force has got the better of him on occasion, butdeniedhe has an anger management problem.

"Well, I guess it's fair to say that and I think this has been said by others I'm a pretty extreme guy," he told the CBC's Solomon.

"When things don't go well, I get frustrated, and sometimes I express that frustration in ways that aren't constructive."

An independent "workplace assessment" of the fractious RCMP also found that the tepid pace of reform inside the police force frustrated some Mounties.

Elliott said the addition of two deputycommissioners foreast and west regions and the elimination of four other regional positions will"streamline" communications between the senior executive team in Ottawa and commands in the field, while also "reinforcing the autonomy and authority" of commanding officers.

The deputycommissionerpositions will be in Halifax and Vancouver, respectively. Existing deputies Gary Bass and Steve Graham will assume the western and eastern roles, respectively.