COQUITLAM, BC, Monday March 8, 2010 – A Mountie with a long history in the Tri-Cities and a commitment to innovative policing has been appointed top cop for Coquitlam RCMP, which serves Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra.
Supt. Claude Wilcott, who officially took the reins as Coquitlam RCMP Officer-in-Charge on March 3rd after a lengthy selection process, has served almost half of his 35-year RCMP career in the Tri-Cities.
Since his most recent transfer to Coquitlam RCMP in 2005, Wilcott has played an integral role in local strategic policing initiatives such as the Crime Reduction Strategy which has reduced theft of vehicles by 68%, theft from vehicles by 54%, residential break and enters by 54% and business break and enters by 28% since being implemented in 2005.
“This community has played a huge part of my life and Coquitlam RCMP has obviously been a huge part of my career, so I’m excited and honoured to officially take the reins as OIC,” said Wilcott who moved to the area in his youth and graduated from Centennial Secondary School.
“I’ve had the chance to work on some innovative projects that have made a real impact on the safety of our communities since coming back in 2005, and I am looking forward to working with the team here in the detachment as well as our partners in the community to keep building on those successes.”
With this latest promotion, Supt. Wilcott has served at Coquitlam RCMP at every rank, from Constable to Superintendent.
"Supt. Wilcott is an accomplished member of the RCMP and has a strong background in all aspects of policing, with an emphasis on uniform duties, community service, and working with partners in an integrated fashion,” said Assistant Commissioner Peter German, OIC of the Lower Mainland District RCMP. “I am confident that as OIC, Claude will continue to provide excellent service to all of the communities which compose Coquitlam detachment."
Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart and Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore strongly support Supt. Wilcott’s promotion to OIC.
“The Coquitlam Detachment is one of the largest in the country, and we’re pleased that Inspector Wilcott grew up here, and has served many of his RCMP years right here in the Tri-Cities,” Mayor Stewart said. “I believe this strong knowledge of our region will serve our community well.”
Mayor Moore added: "Over the past five years, we have all worked together to make our communities safer, which has resulted in a 54% decrease in residential B&Es. Claude Wilcott was a part of this team and we are looking forward to building on our past success."
After being sworn in on March 22, 1975 at the Coquitlam RCMP detachment, Supt. Wilcott has spent his entire RCMP career in B.C., serving the communities of Coquitlam (general duty, dog service and senior administration), Sicamous (highway patrol), Prince Rupert (dog service) and North Vancouver (general duty). He also worked at “E” Division headquarters, and as the Lower Mainland District Advisory NCO (non-commissioned officer).
Coquitlam RCMP – which serves almost 200,000 people in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Belcarra and Anmore – is the third largest RCMP detachment in Canada and the fourth largest police force in Metro Vancouver, after the Vancouver Police Department, Surrey RCMP and Burnaby RCMP.
-30-