RCMP Sergeant Duncan Babchuk, who has served as the detachment commander of the Stettler detachment for nearly half a decade, has retired, the Independent has learned.
According to Cpl. Cameron Russell, the sergeant finished up his duties with the detachment in the final week of May.
With the detachment commander now retired, Russell will act in his stead until a new one is recruited from within the RCMP.
When asked if Russell, who has served for several years in Stettler himself, will pursue the position, he admitted he has no intention of doing so.
Before coming to Stettler to serve as detachment commander, Babchuk served as acting staff sergeant in the Sylvan Lake detachment for "quite some time," Russell said, and prior to that was detachment commander in a community in the Northwest Territories.
Babchuk, who started as a teacher and joined the RCMP in the early 80s, first served in the Niagara region of Ontario before moving about the province and then to his post in the Northwest Territories.
Domestic Violence, Impaired on the rise
Whether prompted by the arrival of summer-like weather or the downturn in the economy – or both – Russell said that both impaired driving and domestic violence are on the rise in May.
"I made two (impaired) arrests myself, which is odd for the detachment commander," Russell said, since responsibilities usually keep the detachment commander close to his desk.
One of those impaired driving incidents resulted in a serious collision near Stewartwyn Road, between Stettler and Erskine, where the driver of a stolen vehicle collided with another vehicle.
Russell emphasized that there is no reason for any person to drive while impaired, as there is a taxi service in town. If the taxi isn't an option, making arrangements with friends or family is a must.
New faces in Stettler's detachment
There will be two new constables in the Stettler detachment by the end of July, both with half-a-decade of experience.
Const. Jacob Carr is the first to arrive and is already at work in Stettler, coming from the detachment at Mayerthorpe, where he served about five years.
In July, Const. Rob Harms will transfer in from Three Hills, where his six years of policing experience will augment the detachment.
911 woopsies
Russell said there's also been an increase in people hanging up on 911, a practice that ties up both 911 and police resources.
Though he noted that most people do not deliberately phone and hang up on 911, accidental emergency dials, frequently from unlocked phones in people's pockets, do happen.
The key thing is if these things happen, remain on the line, he said.
If a 911 operator has a call and there's no response, they're obligated to investigate by trying to contact the caller or by sending police out to ensure no one's in danger.
While accidentally phoning 911 can be embarrassing, staying on the line to say it was an accident can save time and money.