Change is coming to the top of the Kamloops RCMP ranks. It was announced Aug 15, 2022 that Supt. Syd Lecky was moving on to the Northwest Territories to take on a new position after spending the last four years as the top cop in the Tournament Capital.
“You know, the last four years, I can say that I’m very, very pleased with how things have gone. I wish some things could be different, but when you look at our overall priorities that we’ve had, whether it’s organized crime or traffic safety, crime reduction, and the like, we’ve had a lot of success, we’ve had a lot of changes too.”
“Whether it’s policy driven, case law driven, that have changed how policing is done now and into the future. But that said, a pandemic thrown in the middle of it, a couple of seasons of fires and floods in my time which brought evacuees. Some of the ones who never left are ones I wished never came and it has impacted how we do policing in our community and our policing resources and some degree crime.”
Supt. Lecky says he is overall, fairly happy with being able to weather the storm of the pandemic. “It has been very difficult on on all of us. Not just our police, but anybody involved in health care, emergency services, and interacting with the public, because we never got to take any time off or go home. We had to work through it. It’s a credit to the members and our members of staff, because our support staff also couldn’t just stay at home. So my gratitude to them.”
“So four years, I do feel that I’m leaving things in good shape,” says Lecky. “I’ve had a lot of support.
Policing in the Kamloops area provides some unique challenges, including rural police coverage
Well, I can tell you, you will always have pressures. And as long as we have people in rural areas, you’re not ever going to get the policing response that you wish you had when you need it. It’s one of those things until you need it, a lot of people don’t even think about it, says Lecky adding that you simply cannot have a police officer at every corner all the time. “We try to be more strategic in how we do business… But it’s always a challenge getting out to where we don’t have a permanent footprint. For example, in Savona or up in Sun Peaks, they would they like to see a police officer there all the time, but the reality is, especially when on the provincial business line, getting provincial resources is very, very challenging.”
Lecky says the province has allowed the Kamloops RCMP detachment to add an officer to the rural policing side in the last few years, but there hasn’t been any significant increase in many years, especially when you add in the significant population growth in the area. “If you look at Sun Rivers, for example, that growth alone is 8,000 people on reserve in the last 10-12 years. So that is a significant pressure on policing that wasn’t there before. We’ve added one police officer.”
“I think we’re doing a pretty decent job. We have, in partnership with Public Safety Canada and the province, we have indigenous policing members dedicated to provide a service to our indigenous communities. And we do a fantastic job with that.”
“So will there always be complaints in rural areas, but many of the people who live in rural areas don’t want the police around all the time either. So so it’s always the balance, but I think overall, things are pretty good.
What other challenges has Lecky faced during his time in Kamloops?
One of the biggest and more surprising issues that Lecky has been trying to tackle throughout his four years has been the gang conflict.
“I can tell you that what I had not anticipated was the level of the gang conflict at the time and because that is, until you have to deal with it, you don’t really know what you’re getting into…. There are some things that the public are very aware of and there is a lot of things behind the scenes.”
“That impacted how we did business and the support we had internally and externally… The RCMP, it’s such a large organization where we have the surge capacity to be able to support our surrounding detachments. So our district, we had support coming in from as far away as Cranbrook and Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton to help support us in 2019, when we had chaos with with some homicides and other high profile events. We also had support from major crime services from RCMP in the Lower Mainland. So, you know, we were able to weather that storm. We’ve secured a number of convictions related to that and anytime you can solve homicides, that’s a good thing. Obviously, wish we didn’t didn’t have him, but but it is what it is.”
Lecky says organized crime will continue to be a priority here, because there is a need to address the people who take advantage of our vulnerable population. “And that continues to be a challenge. The opioid crisis, the housing crisis and all the other pressures that come with it including the changes in our criminal justice system and expectations on police.”
A few recent wins for Lecky include getting Kamloops City council to almost fully support for the expansion of the Battle St. detachment after the project was pout on hold due to the pandemic. “It needs to happen because we need a place to put people.” Council has also given the its backing for five new members per year for the next five years. “We were able to unfreeze some positions previously frozen as well. Those I think will all help position us moving forward,” says Lecky.
He also spoke to the improvements that the Kamloops RCMP have made in dealing with everyone in the community. “I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. Of the complaints, we’ve had very few had to do with use of force. And of those, very few have have ever resulted in anything beyond admonishment and training and that sort of thing and adjusting how we do business. So I think overall, I’m pretty happy with how we’re doing.”
Lecky chose Yellowknife for his next opportunity and says there a few reasons why.
“For those who don’t know a little bit about my background, my father was Jamaican, black, and my mother is indigenous. I’ve spent a lot of time working in indigenous policing. And the indigenous issues are very important to me,: says Lecky. “So when I looked at the opportunity, there’s opportunities to trust me in my organization right now. And in terms of promotion, and the areas for consideration across Canada. I thought that suits my skill set, the things that are important to me working with people and communities to be able to try and make a difference.”
“We’re at a time where reconciliation is for me, it’s more than just speak. It’s more than just talk. I think I think there’s an opportunity here for me to contribute to that and that can contribution it merely by my presence I think can make a difference. We have For whatever part, I can tell you one of the priorities up in the north, in the Northwest Territories is, you know, partnerships and working with people to develop those relationships. So for me, it’s just a natural fit and it’s what I do.”
“There’s no question some places have challenges. And it’s also a time in my career, what better role could you possibly have than to be able to see parts of Canada you wouldn’t get to see otherwise and work with people and make a difference? So for me, it’s, it was a natural fit. And that’s why I chose to go there.”
“It’s not just a new city. I’m moving to a whole new this is a territory. So everything is going to be quite different. But that’s part of it. I like the challenge. I like the try that new things. So overall, I mean, it’s a win win. And looking forward to the Northern Lights.
Mayor Ken Christian says Lecky’s departure is a huge loss for Kamloops
“Kamloops is losing a great Superintendent. But, we have Inspector Jeff Pelley who will step in when Syd goes and so he will take the interim command. I am working with Chief Supt. Haugli from the South East division on a recruitment strategy. The ad is out there and we are looking for a new superintendent in early fall.”
In terms of whether a new Mayor and council will get to weigh in on who the next Supt. of the Kamloops RCMP will be, Christian says you can’t leave these kinds of positions waiting for political decisions. “I think we’ll have someone in place before a new council, but obviously the relationship of the new council and new superintendent will be important.”
“I think Syd’s legacy here… he has created a real sense of community policing and a lot more intervention and interaction with domestic and social issues on the streets and I think that’s a good thing.”
Any advice for the next Kamloops RCMP Superintendent?
Lecky says there will be a transition period. “Inspector Jeff Pelley will be the acting officer in charge. He’s very well positioned to do that. He’s been here for over a year now. He is very, very experienced. He was a detachment commander prior to coming here. So I’m not concerned at all that there’s going to be any issues.”
