Philippe Pichet sworn in as new Montreal police chief

Philippe Pichet has officially taken over as 38th chief of the Montreal police after a ceremony at City Hall this afternoon attended by top police officials and dignitaries.

Pichet has been with the force since the early 90s.

He has held positions in operation planning and worked with the counter-terrorism unit.

Pichet was part of the team coordinating the police response during months of student protests in 2012.

He replaces Marc Parent, who decided to step down at the end of his five-year term for personal reasons.

Notably absent from the ceremony was the Montreal Police Brotherhood. In a statement, union president Yves Francoeur called it another measure to protest against the province's plans for pension reform.

Pichet called the union's absence unfortunate.

"I will work with them, but in time. First I'm going to finish [this] day. It's my day today. [As of] Monday I'll do what I have to do to work with them. They're part of the solution," Pichet said.