Prince George, B.C. -The new head of the RCMP in B.C. started his career in Prince George.
Assistant Commissioner Craig Callens is a third generation Mountie who was born in Ottawa and raised in Saskatchewan.
He has 26 years experience as a member of the RCMP, a career which started with his first posting in Prince George. He received his first promotion in 1995 when he became the Detachment Commander of Wells Detachment. He was later transferred to Kamloops in 1997 and promoted to Sgt.
In 2002 he was commissioned to the rank of Inspector as the Operations Officer “E” Division Drug Enforcement Branch. Two years later he would serve in the RCMP’s largest detachment, Surrey Detachment, for five years as the Investigative Services Officer.
In 2009 he served as the Lower Mainland District Operations Officer and was promoted to rank of C/Supt. Then in 2009 he moved to “E” Division Headquarters to become the Deputy Criminal Operations Officer (Contract Policing) for the Province of BC.
Prior to his appointment as Commanding Officer of “E” Division, he served as the Officer in Charge of Criminal Operations.
Below, is his address wich was delivered to members of the media this afternoon:
Good Afternoon,
I am honoured and feel privileged to have been appointed the Commanding Officer of the RCMP in British Columbia, and to speak to you in that capacity today. It is a significant responsibility and one that I do not take lightly. “E” Division is the largest Division in the Force and a full third of the RCMP is in British Columbia. We have over 9,000 employees serving in communities large and small. We respond to over one million calls for service a year in environments distinct from those served by any other police service in the Province. Environments that are challenging by virtue of their location, remoteness, access and available support. We have done so proudly as the Provincial Police Service in British Columbia since 1950, and I could not be more pleased that an agreement in principle has been reached for that to continue into the future. But my objective today is not to speak of the scope and scale of our operation. Rather, it is to plainly acknowledge that we must continue to evolve and improve, and I give you my personal commitment that we will strive to be the police service British Columbians expect and deserve.
I am committed to improvements in transparency, performance management and accountability at all levels of the organization. I welcome the recent announcement of the Chief Civilian Director of the Independent Investigation Office and the independent investigation and civilian oversight of serious incidents involving the police that the office will bring. In an effort to provide the most effective and efficient policing service possible, we will continue to explore ways to expand our integrated and regional services and work closely and collaboratively with our partners and communities.
I recognize that we must make changes to ensure a respectful workplace for our employees and to increase accountability to our communities. But there are also things that we need not change, and that is the personal and professional commitment and dedication to duty demonstrated by the overwhelming majority of our members across this Province every hour of every day. I could not be more proud of their work. From time to time the accomplishments of many can be undermined by the actions of a few who may do something that is not in keeping with the high standards and expectations the public properly has of us. I want to assure you that I have those same high expectations and that I will do everything possible to prevent unacceptable acts from occuring, and to hold those accountable who fail to meet appropriate standards of conduct and professionalism. I have had a long standing relationship with the Commissioner and have had an opportunity to speak with him on several occasions regarding these issues. I can assure you that we are like-minded and that I am committed to supporting and furthering his agenda in this regard.
I have had the good fortune of serving in British Columbia my entire career, in our smallest and largest detachment and in various locations and regions. Regardless of duty function or location, one thing has stuck with me throughout – the value and importance of relationships. Above all, I am committed to ensuring that we develop and maintain those positive relationships that allow us to stay connected to our communities.
Comments
Gooood luck!
And all this time I was under the impression that Mounties dread being transferred to places that start with Prince or Fort.
I would say that he started his career at the RCMP training facilities in Alberta, and then got his first posting to Prince George, then Wells, then Kamloops.
Potato… Potaado
Hey Palopu pull your head out of your ass and learn Canadian history. RCMP training is in Saskatchewan not Alberta.
consideritsold. Whoopee Ding. So they train in Saskatchewan. Its their dogs that get trained in Innisfal Alberta.
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