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Sgt. Preston of the Mounties appointed Campbell River detachment commander

Nineteen-year veteran promoted from General Investigation Section in Comox

The Campbell River RCMP have a replacement for departing detachment commander, Insp. Lyle Gelinas.

The RCMP and the City of Campbell River announced the selection of a new Detachment Commander for the Campbell River RCMP, following the promotion and departure of Insp. Gelinas.

A selection committee consisting of representatives from the RCMP, the City of Campbell River, the Strathcona Regional District, and First Nations selected Sergeant Jeff Preston as their new Detachment Commander.

Sgt. Preston, originally from Sherwood Park, Alberta, joined the RCMP almost 19 years ago right after he graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree. All of his service with the Force has been spent in the province of British Columbia. His first posting was in Chetwynd where he spent five years as a General Duty Constable. He then transferred to Fort Saint John and spent eight years there, moving up the ladder from an investigator in Drugs Section to commanding a watch and plain clothes section, to receiving his promotion as Sergeant. He transferred to Tofino where he was the Detachment Commander for three years, and finally moving to the Island District General Investigation Section in Comox where he is currently posted and living with his wife, two sons and daughter.

Chief Superintendent Ray Bernoties, the Commander of the BC RCMP’s Island District says, "I am very pleased with the selection of Sgt. Preston as the incoming Detachment Commander. His level of community engagement is impressive and I believe his operational and proactive outreach experiences will be essential to the successful progression of many of the policing initiatives in the City of Campbell River and the surrounding communities."

Campbell River is the third largest city and the fourth largest community on Vancouver Island with a population of roughly 32,000 residents within a land area of approximately 1,700 square kilometers. The Campbell River RCMP handles an average of 14,000 files each year. The Detachment’s policing jurisdiction starts from Oyster River Bridge on HWY 19A and Hamm Road on HWY 19 to the South and extends West to the Buttle Lake Narrows on HWY 28 and as far North as Rock Bay Road on HWY 19A. To the East, Campbell River splits the outlaying islands and mainland areas with other Island Detachments.

Sgt. Preston will be promoted to the rank of Inspector in the near future as he assumes his duties and takes on the reins as the Detachment Commander of Campbell River RCMP.

"We look forward to welcoming our new Officer in Charge to Campbell River," says city manager Andy Laidlaw. "Sergeant Preston can look forward to joining an impressive police services team with the support of a number of community partnerships to continue our successful crime reduction initiatives."