The Mayor of Kamloops expects the newly approved second inspector to join the RCMP detachment by the end of this year.

Ken Christian says this new RCMP inspector will be in charge of support services and specialty units in Kamloops. This person will join Superintendent Syd Lecky and Inspector Jeff Pelley, who is in charge of RCMP operations in Kamloops.

“So one inspector will look after the watch, the A, B, C, D watch and the majority of the members, while the other inspector will look after the specialty services and some more of the administration – crime analysts that kind of thing,” Christian told NL News.

“It is something that reflects the size and the complexity of the Kamloops detachment. You know you’ve got 135 uniformed officers and another 75 municipal employees and you really only have Superintendent Lecky and Inspector Pelley in charge, so you really need to kind of bolster that complement.”

Christian though notes the priority is replacing Superintendent Lecky, who is transitioning out of his current role in Kamloops and moving to Yellowknife.

“The first priority is the replacement of the superintendent’s position and then we’ll get onto the second inspector position,” Christian added.

“I suspect it will be before the end of the year, but there are issues with recruitment and transfers within the RCMP. Mobility is not as good as it used to be.”