RCMP Superintendent Keith Robinson is retiring as officer in charge of the Upper Fraser Valley regional detachment, effective Feb. 1.
The detachment's media liaison officer confirmed Robinson's retirement Wednesday, and said many applications have been submitted for the "prime" position in the Upper Fraser Valley. The successful applicant will also require approval by the mayors of the four communities in the region.
Robinson, who worked the Fraser Valley beat for more than 30 years as a general duty officer and in a variety of other roles, including intelligence and administration, took over the helm of the detachment in August, 2009.
The region had seen a number of "top cops" come and go in the space of a few years.
Policing in Chilliwack had also undergone many changes since 2003 when the RCMP detachments in Chilliwack, Agassiz, Hope and Harrison Hot Springs merged into a single Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment.
Robinson got the nod from valley mayors because of his familiarity with the community and because of the respect he'd earned among RCMP rank and file as a "listening" commander.
He also understood the constraints of municipal finances.
A crime reduction strategy adopted across the region targets prolific offenders, deemed responsible for most property crimes, and identifying crime "hot spots" in each of the four communities to focus limited police resources.
Robinson said in a news release last year that he was "pleased" with the results of that model which "provides our police managers a gauge of whether we are winning or losing in our efforts to be pro-active with crime reduction."
See next Tuesday's Progress for a full interview with Robinson.