Kamloops’ top cop says RCMP upcoming officer additions will focus on front line

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops RCMP Superintendent Syd Lecky’s presentation to mayor and council Tuesday (Mar. 15) was met with approval, which means the local police force will see a boost next year.

“Quite happy to come back to our members and staff to let them know because they had no idea what was coming,” Lecky told CFJC Today Wednesday. The approval of his presentation means the detachment will be able to hire another five officers next year at a cost of about $1 million to the city budget.

Council has adopted the detachment’s five-year strategic plan, which outlines the addition of five officers each year until 2027.

“The City will notify the province of its intention, the province will notify the federal partners and that usually takes about a year before you’ll be able to get the boots on the ground,” Lecky explains. “And that’s if we have people to draw from.”

Kamloops has been averaging about 120 members on the job at a given time and, with a growing civic population, the amount of officers also needs to grow. The plan is to have 129 roadable officers in 2022, increasing to 154 officers by 2027.

“Primarily frontline will be where we will be directing the resources,” notes Lecky. “The reason we focus on the frontline is because we tend to draw from other sections and units to support the frontline when the frontline gets depleted.”

On a daily basis, police deal with the impacts of the opioid crisis, homelessness, untreated mental health issues and substance use disorders. Beyond operational stresses, Lecky says the amount of public scrutiny police face can also be mentally difficult, and he figures that has begun to impact recruitment.

Lecky knows policing is a demanding job and RCMP across the country have been focusing on recruiting and retaining officers.

“A variety of things have impacted how policing is done today than it was even five years ago,” he says. “Whether it’s case law, court decisions, policy changes, the impacts of member wellness, mental health, trying to recognize and support our members and staff.”

There’s relief that city leadership is support RCMP planning. But the head of the local detachment says the challenges faced by Kamloops and other municipalities across Canada don’t have a single answer and policing is just one facet of the inter-connected response that is needed.

“It’s my hope that some of these other areas will be addressed, too. Whether it’s safe supply, whether it’s community courts that will serve us better if we have those services in place,” adds Lecky.