Vancouver Police Holds Annual Tournament To Honour Fallen Member Paul Sanghera

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Police Soccer and Service Club will be kicking off the 34th anniversary of the Paul Sanghera High School Indoor Soccer Tournament that honours a fallen member who tragically lost his life in a fatal car crash.

It began Thursday at Killarney Secondary School, which will be hosting eight Vancouver high school soccer teams that will play in a two-day, indoor soccer tournament where top players will be rewarded with $3,500 in scholarships for their post-secondary education.

The Vancouver Police Soccer and Service Club is proudly supported by the Vancouver Police Foundation and Masonic Lodges of the Lower Mainland.

On January 8th, 1982, Constable Paul Sanghera and his partner were on patrol in East Vancouver. A blanket of fresh snow covered the roads, making them slippery and treacherous.

At 1:00 a.m., they stopped to investigate an abandoned car at the side of the road at E. 57th and Argyle Street. The officers got out of their marked police car to examine the vehicle and to look for the registration papers in the glove box. As Constable Sanghera continued to stand beside the vehicle, his partner returned to their police car to call for a tow truck.

Without warning, a pickup truck suddenly came around the corner and lost control on the icy street, striking the abandoned vehicle and Constable Sanghera, who died at the scene.

The driver was found not at fault and the collision was blamed on the weather conditions.

Paul Sanghera grew up in Richmond and went to Richmond High School. He was remembered as a tenacious and keen athlete, who enjoyed soccer and played on the Vancouver Police soccer team.

His death is commemorated every year at the Paul Sanghera Soccer Tournament.