BARRHEAD - A familiar hand will be in charge of the Barrhead RCMP detachment.
Sgt. Bob Dodds told County of Barrhead councillors during their Dec. 19 council meeting that when he officially steps down and retires from the RCMP after 31 and a half years of service, including over a dozen in Barrhead, sometime in February, Sgt. Colin Hack will be the detachment commander.
Before his time with the RCMP, Dodds was in the Canadian Armed Forces for 11 years as a reservist, including in Cyprus as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force.
Councillors invited Dodds to address council for a final time before his retirement. After his presentation, the county hosted a luncheon for Dodds, inviting staff who wanted to wish him well.
"Colin was a constable here when I first came to Barrhead, and he is as smart as they come," he said, adding that for the last decade, Hack has worked as a dog handler in the K-9 unit.
Currently, Hack is the acting commander of the provincial K-9 unit.
Reeve Doug Drozd said he is pleased they will have someone familiar with the community leading the detachment.
Dodds agreed, adding that since he left the community, he has maintained contact with many community members, including Town of Barrhead Mayor Dave McKenzie, who retired as a senior constable in Barrhead after a long career.
As for crime statistics, when Dodds and Cpl. Filipe Vicente presented the detachment's crime statistics to county councillors on Nov. 21 for the July to September quarter; he told councillors that property crime was at a five-year low.
And although he said the statistics are still relatively good, he is noticing that they are on an upward trend.
"Now, a few people have gotten out of jail, and things seem to be happening again. Things are not terrible, but we are seeing an increase in stolen vehicles," Dodds said, adding the most recent happened in the early morning hours of Dec. 19, when police found an abandoned pickup, most likely stolen from another community, set on fire near Highway 651 and Highway 777. "It is not like we are being overrun [with property crimes], but we are definitely seeing an uptick."
Dodds also touched on the suspected Dec. 7 arsons of two historic churches, St. Aidan's Church in Glenreagh and the St. Mary Abbots Anglican, better known as the Pioneer Memorial Church, saying the files are still actively being investigated.
Coun. Bill Lane said he attempted to follow an older two-tone pickup that police had reported being seen parked in front of St. Aidan's shortly before or at the time of the fire.
Unfortunately, he said, he lost track of the vehicle and did not get a plate number.
Dodds replied that, unfortunately, the description they received was vague, but it did result in numerous tips, some of which the police are still investigating.
"It's certainly not a dead issue. We are also looking into some other avenues as well," he said.
