The Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP detachment will be getting one more police officer in the new year.

Kamloops mayor Ken Christian says that’s good news for the detachment which serves not only Tk’emlúps but also Sun Peaks, Tobiano, Savona and Sun Rivers.

“This is part of an initiative that myself along with other Interior mayors have been in discussions with the Solicitor General [Mike Farnworth] over, for the past six months. We feel that they are not living up to their funding commitment toward rural policing, and we feel this is a start toward filling some of those gaps.”

Christian says four more regional RCMP officers will also be stationed at the Kamloops RCMP detachment to assist rural detachments in the area, who will also be starting in the new year.

“The E-Division commanding officer has indicated they are going to station four additional provincially-funded RCMP officers in Kamloops to be used in the region. So that will help some detachments like Barriere and Ashcroft when they have vacancies, either for attrition or sick leave or those types of things.”

Christian was informed of the reallocation of police resources to rural resources in a letter from Deputy RCMP Commissioner Jennifer Strachan, after meeting with Assistant Commissioner Eric Stubbs at the UBCM.