Boyle RCMP has a new detachment commander with Sgt. John Spaans taking over the top post during the second week of December. “Generally speaking, I'm about a step away from operational policing, ” said Spaans.
Boyle RCMP has a new detachment commander with Sgt. John Spaans taking over the top post during the second week of December.
“Generally speaking, I'm about a step away from operational policing, ” said Spaans.
“Now, I mainly take care of a lot of the ministration management to the office and the employees here. It's also my responsibility to make some strategic planning to determine where our resources need to go and where our time is spent. ”
After being promoted from corporal, Spaans will be taking over the role in a full-time capacity. He has been in the temporary commanding role for the past few months, since Sgt. Kevin McGillivray had been spending his time in the Athabasca Detachment. When McGillivray was promoted to Sergeant Major, Spaans was the logical choice.
“I was fortunate enough to get the promotion here. It just so happened (that) I had been the acting person leading into it, ” he said.
“The nice part about it (is) it provides a little consistency. I've been here. I know what the priorities are. So, there won't be that learning time, it's just straight through. That helped immensely. I've been here two and a half years and, more than likely given this position, I'll be here another two to three years. ”
He not only feels this promotion gives him better job stability, but more stability to the detachment and the community as well. Having an official acting commander will give residents a more clear understanding on who they need to communicate with.
“As an acting commander it always had that, ‘What if they're not here next week?' sort of feel to it, ” he said. “At least now that I'm the full-time detachment commander, there's some more stability. ”
No big changes are expected now that he's in charge. The detachment will still be focusing on their regular policing duties with highway safety and crime reduction, but there may be a few new faces coming to the village in the near future.
“Now that I'm in the sergeant spot, we can start back filling some of the openings, ” said Spaans.
“The dominos have started falling and we're more than likely to start seeing some new members around the detachment. ”
Although most of his daily duties revolve around being at the detachment, you can expect to see him out on patrol every now and again to escape the office environment.
“I'll try as much as I can to get out because it certainly gets a little bit daunting, ” he said. “Sitting in the office staring at files, papers and e-mails all day. It gets a little bit tight in here.
