“The biggest thing I’ve seen is the amount of growth happening in Sooke,” RCMP Staff Sgt. Greg Willcocks, head of the Sooke detachment, said during a look back at 2023.
“It’s happening at such a fast pace that it’s important that police service adapts to the rising change in population and development. The last census showed a 10 per cent increase in population, and it will be interesting to see what that looks like in 2025.”
While the approval in April for the move to 24-7 police coverage will see the detachment add five new members during the next five years, he said it will take some time to get the officers here.
“Our biggest short-term priority is to get to 24-7 to provide an enhanced level of service,” Willcocks said. “I anticipate the switch to more robust service in the first half of 2024,” he said.
Sgt. Kevin Shaw’s vacancy as the officer in charge of operations will also be filled in the next couple of months.
Willcocks said the annual performance plan drives the detachment’s priorities.
“There’s always general themes,” he said. “Another priority is to finish strong with 2023’s performance plan.”
Willcocks expects the performance plan for 2024 to be completed in April
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One of the priorities for the 2024 annual performance plan will be more robust enforcement when dealing with prolific offenders.
“We know a very small percentage of the population commits the most crimes, so that’s who we have to focus on,” Willcocks said.
Another priority will be dealing with impaired driving by having a strong police presence on the roads.
The year-end statistics for the detachment will be presented to Sooke council in January.
“Improvements can be seen everywhere compared to last year,” Willcocks said. “And I think we’ll see more of that when we complete the shift to 24-7.”
When asked what his impressions of Sooke after his first six months on the job, he said the sense of community was top of mind.
“The community is beautiful, the people who live here are wonderful, and there’s such a sense of community in Sooke. And that’s something I really saw on Remembrance Day. Considering the amount of rain we got, the number of people who came out was really impressive.”