The London Police Service is in mourning after the sudden death of former chief Brian Collins on Monday.

Collins, who was 67, died after suffering an apparent heart attack.

Current Chief Brad Duncan describes him as “Somewhat of a reserved man, people would say, but I can tell you he had a keen wit, a great sense of humour and a statesman for the community. He undertook to make changes within the service, advocated for more members, grew the service by 85 officers.”

Collins was at the head of the London Police Service for four years, first as acting chief of police starting in 2000, then as chief from 2002 to 2004.

He was a member of the service in various capacities for nearly 35 years.

Duncan says the positive changes Collins made at police headquarters will have an impact for years to come because his motivation was preparing for the future.

 “He was also very interested in looking at mental health and how it is impacting police services and the last piece he was most known for was the ability to link police services across Canada on a common database.”

The visitation for Collins will be held Wednesday at the Donohue Funeral Home. The funeral itself will take place on Thursday at St. Peter’s Basilica.

More details are available on the Donohue Funeral Home website.