A - Saskatchewat,”

New inspector
for North Van

Mounties

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter

JOIN the RCMP and
see Canada.

That could easily be the
motto of the new inspector at
the North Vancouver RCMP
§ detachment. :

: Insp. Gordon McRae was
poste in St. John’s,
Newfoundland for five years
before coming to North
Vancouver this year.

,., The Victoria native began

chis journey acress Canada in

1969 when at the ripe old age

of 20, McRae went to Regina
to train as a Mountie.

“I rernember saying P'd be

happy posted anywhere but

recalled

‘McRae during a relaxed inter-

_ view on Wednesday.

He was, of course,
romptly, posted in
askatchewan. McRae

remained there for 20 years at
various assignments including

a job as part ofa two-member
“country police” detachment.

: “Saskatchewan was quite a

shock. The cold weather and
the flat prairie... I wasn’t used

‘0 going for a walk in the sun-
“shine and having my’ ears

frozen,” said McRae, 47.

Saskatchewan became

home. McRae’s wife is from

Regina, His three teenage
children were . born in the
province.

On the work front, McRae
pecialized in commercial or
white collar crime investiga-
tions. ‘He continued in that

‘fine of police work: in St.
John’s where he was inl charge
of the commercial crime sec-,

‘tion, for the province of.

Newfoundland and Labrador.
* McRae came to the North
Vancouver. detachment in

April. As supervisor of the
uniformed or patrol police
officers, McRae is getting, his
first taste of municipal polic-
ing.

“After thar many years in
conimercial crime, F was look-
ing for something different.
That’s the beauty of the
Mountie Police. You can
change gears,” he said.

The detachment’s other
inspector, Jamie Graham, is in
charge of the plain clothes
officers and specialized units
such as the police dog see-
tion. Above the inspectors is
the officer in charge of the

etachment, Supt. Gil Yard.

McRae said two inspectors
are justified at a detachment

such as one the size of North,

olice
are

Vancouver where 240
and non-police — stafi
employed.

As far as what an inspector
actually does, McRae is diplo-
matic.

“If this was a perfect
world, a perfect police force,
you wouldn’t need me. I deal
with the problems basically
and try to make us more effi-
cient,” said McRae.

McRae is inipressed by the
quality of policing in North
Vancouver.

He is surprised at the’

number of domestic disputes
reported to police here.

According _ to North
Vancouver RCMP statistics,
police were called to 68
domestic and family disputes
including spousal assauits in
June. The July number was
62.

McRae echoes the senti-
ments of most RCMP officers
frustrated with the federal pay
freeze. In recent yeats, the
Officers in red serge earned
wages far below their coun-
terparts in blue.

McRae said the Mounties"
financial stress is more evident
in othe — pricey Lower
Mainland. “Ideaily we would
all be living in North
Vancouver, But there are real-

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NORTH Van RCMP Insp. Gordon McRae is one of two
inspectors in charge cf police operations.

ities,” said McRae.

He recently bought a
home in Coquitlam. McRae
said he knew he wasn’t in
Newfoundland anymore
when he went house hunting.

Housing prices here are
more than double the amount
for equivalent homes in St.
John’s, he said.

McRae said his .children
have gained from his cross-
country career.

Vacations were spent in. all
regions of Canada. “My kids
know what its like to be
Canadian... Once you've seen
it all, you can put che pieces
of the puzzle together,” he
said.

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