After serving four years as the Officer in Charge of the Comox Valley RCMP detachment, Inspector Tim Walton is leaving for a new position on the Island.
Cpl. Tammy Douglas, spokeswoman for the RCMP Island District, confirmed to The Record Walton will be transferring from the Valley detachment and will be the Officer in Charge of Island District Traffic Services out of Victoria (RCMP Island District).
Through the course of his policing career, Walton has lived in five provinces and two territories.
The Comox Valley detachment serves a variety of municipalities and regions, including Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland, K’omoks First Nation and Denman and Hornby islands – a geographical area which presents various policing challenges, explained Courtenay Mayor Larry Jangula.
“In my opinion, Courtenay is a great place to live, but it’s a tough place to do policing, as we’ve seen lately with organized crime and shootings,” he noted.
RELATED: Courtenay mayor critical of RCMP response to ‘problem houses’
“It’s difficult here because there are a lot of moving parts. From Hornby and Denman, to all the way up to Macaulay Road in Black Creek, different communities have different interests and needs.”
Jangula said he believes an inspector will be selected prior to the fall municipal election and will involve a hiring process where representatives from the respective Valley municipalities and stakeholders are given an opportunity for input.
Cumberland Mayor Leslie Baird noted she hopes Cumberland will be invited to be part of the process and added she would like to see potential candidates have experience working in small communities.
“Community policing is important to Cumberland.”
Comox Mayor Paul Ives noted the Town and Walton had a good working relationship throughout his four years and added he always delivered regular updates at committee of the whole meetings.
While he was not directly involved in the previous hiring process, Ives said he will continue to advocate the town be well served.
He said while he hopes a new inspector will be in place prior to the election, the decision may rest upon a variety of factors, including how quickly an officer can relocate.
Walton was unavailable for comment at press time.
