Terrace’s top cop, RCMP Inspector Syd Lecky will be stepping down from his post to assume responsibilities as Officer in Charge for the Kamloops detachment.
The RCMP’s Southeast District made the announcement March 21 in a press release, noting no formal dates have yet been established. Once Lecky assumes his role in Kamloops, he will be promoted to the rank of superintendent.
“I’m very sad to leave Terrace,” Lecky said. “I have great relationships established with our community partners through the work we’ve done with our marginalized folks in the community—particularly downtown, with the addictions. Working with mayor and council, and our two First Nations communities we provide police service to, they have embraced me and all the things we’ve tried to accomplish. It’s been pretty amazing.
“The staff in the detachment have been great. They’re young for the most part, but very good at their job. A great bunch of people. Yeah, it’s tough to leave Terrace—I’ve been here a total of seven and a half years.”
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Lecky joined the the RCMP in 1996 and was first posted to Terrace in 2005. After three years he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and transferred to Prince George where he ran the Aboriginal Policing program throughout the north. He returned to Terrace in 2013 and was promoted to the rank of Inspector in March 2016.
Lecky has earned a reputation in both the community and within the RCMP for adhering to a progressive, community-first approach to policing, a trait that Terrace Mayor Carol Leclerc said will be missed.
“Inspector Syd Lecky has brought a proactive, calm demeanor to his role which has served the City of Terrace very well. Inspector Lecky’s dedication and positivity has helped transform our policing community into a desirable work location for RCMP members and their families. His new position in Kamloops as superintendent is an excellent opportunity for him, and it will certainly be a significant loss for Terrace. I thank Inspector Lecky for the time he has spent in Terrace and wish he and his family great success in their new community.”
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In his absence, Lecky hopes the detachment will continue to place a top priority on relationships with community partners.
“There’s no question. We need to work together. The way we do business has changed forever, I hope. So we need to work together with all of our partner agencies, whether it’s Transition House, the Ksan [House Society], the shelters, Northern Health—we will achieve more together than we will as individuals.”
The transfer will offer Lecky the opportunity to live closer to his two eldest children who attend a nearby university.
It will be a few weeks before the RCMP begins the process of identifying a replacement in Terrace.
quinn@terracestandard.com
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