VICTORIA — Victoria's police chief has been suspended but nobody's saying why.

The city of Victoria issued a three-paragraph news release Tuesday announcing the immediate suspension of Chief Const. Paul Battershill. Deputy chief Bill Naughton was named as interim chief.

Battershill, a former Vancouver city police officer, is known for supporting innovative policing techniques and has led high-profile reviews on the use of Tasers by police and an investigation into alcohol-related incidents at the West Vancouver Police Department.

Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe, the chairman of the city's police board, suspended Battershill, who was placed on paid administrative leave by the same police board last month for reasons that have also not been made public.

The city and the mayor are refusing to comment further, citing ongoing investigations into the Battershill matter.

B.C. Police Complaints Commissioner Dirk Ryneveld ordered the Mounties last month to conduct an investigation under the Police Act into the Battershill matter. Ryneveld's office also refused to disclose what is being investigated.

Lowe said earlier Battershill was placed on paid administrative leave last month after a sensitive legal document was leaked to the media.

An officer at the Victoria Police Department would only say, "no comment,'' when asked how the rank and file members are reacting to the chief's suspension.

Victoria lawyer David Mulroney said he wrote a letter to the law firm that represents the Victoria Police Department suggesting possible areas of conflict of interest surrounding the police chief and his knowledge of freedom of information requests involving himself.

Mulroney said he represents a client who filed several freedom of information requests that name Battershill, who is highly regarded in policing circles.

He said it seemed likely that the FOI request by Mulroney's unnamed client had something to do with the investigation by the RCMP.

The FOI requests targeted four areas, including the Victoria police department's dismissals without cause, suspensions with pay, expense accounts and employment contracts involving pay equity.

One package of documents Mulroney's client received revealed Battershill had credit card expenses of more than $90,000 since 2004. The documents also show the city paid up to $600,000 in severance to former police department members and officials.

The request also asked for all expense and accounting records of two high-profile reports compiled by Battershill. Mulroney has yet to receive those documents.

He asked for all expenses and accounts from the Taser Technology Review conducted by Battershill and its preliminary recommendations in September 2004.

It also asked for all expenses and accounts relating to the investigation of Const. Lisa Alford of the West Vancouver Police Department on behalf of the B.C. Police Complaints Commissioner.

Battershill was appointed to review alcohol-related concerns involving Alford and the West Vancouver department.

Battershill, appointed Victoria chief in 1999, carries an exemplary record as a solid beat cop in the Vancouver Police Department for more than 20 years.

The jurisdiction of the Victoria Police Department includes the city of Victoria and neighbouring community of Esquimalt, about 100,000 people.

But Victoria Police officers insist they patrol a downtown area that expands greatly at night, because many of the residents of suburban Victoria, estimated at about 300,000 people, spend much of their social time in the city's downtown core.