Two messages from senior officers of the RCMP today in Penticton. Your streets are safe and the area will be getting enhanced leadership in the form of a sub-regional police superintendent based in the Okanagan Similkameen.

Southeast BC District Chief Superintendent Mike Sekela (right in the picture) told RDOS directors the area is getting busier with increasing population and that importance has been proven to the highest offices of the force.

The area has been supervised by Inspector Brag Haugli for a number of years but he is moving on – promoted to a supervisory role in the Surrey area.

Chief Superintendent Sekela says the importance of the area is the proximity to the Canadian/US border at Osoyoos and the number of native band-reserves within the Regional District.

Sekela told the meeting that he had a business plan for the new position approved by the Commissioner of the RCMP and the force will be hiring a man or women with qualifications to take on the role within the next three months.

Inspector Haugli (shown left) in his final report to RDOS directors said he leaves his position with great statistics to show.

Overall crime statistics for the years 2008 to 2012 show a decline of almost 15% – Haugli says crime analysis is the key to modern policing – concentrating effort on certain locations and certain known characters.

Haugli was asked about the reduction of assaults and the board was told those figures are down with about 50% of the reduction – those cases called domestic violence.

Haugli says he likes Penticton and will return on his retirement as he has a young family and wants to raise children in the Okanagan. He started his career in Penticton almost 23 years ago and in the latest stint served less than 4 years as top cop for the area.