When the Royal Canadian Mounted Police first came to 100 Mile House in 1952, the South Cariboo was a different place.
Back then, 100 Mile was just starting to become the regional hub thanks to Highway 97, and was still largely run by the Emissaries of the Divine Light. The RCMP were expected to do a little bit of everything, including building their own detachment and finding their own patrol cars.
“Back then we would do everything from mail delivery to dentistry and veterinarian care sometimes. Looking at the old photos it’s pretty cool to realize that back then if you needed it you found a way to make it work,” Staff Sgt. Kevin Smith said.
“Today it’s a little bit the same. You never know what’s going to happen. We have a massive area. We go from 83 Mile out to Lac des Roches, from 150 Mile out to Canim Lake. We can easily put 500 kilometers on in a shift.”
This year, the RCMP is celebrating 150 years of policing across Canada. While the RCMP was officially formed in 1920, it traces its lineage back to the North-West Mounted Police (later Royal North-West Mounted Police), which was established in 1873. These original Mounties were a mix between military and police and brought law and order to the Northwest Territories, which then included Alberta and Saskatchewan.
In 100 Mile House, Smith said the RCMP started off with two officers responsible for patrolling the village and the surrounding region. As the population increased so did the detachment, with Smith now commanding 15 officers.
Their office has also been upgraded and enhanced. When Smith was first stationed in 100 Mile House the detachment was still on Alpine Avenue, a building they inhabited from 1981 to 2016. By the time he got there, the building was starting to fall apart and they had persistent issues with marmots eating their vehicles’ wires.
“In 2008 the commander, when I was first transferred here, said you are so lucky. By the time you get here we’re going to have a brand new detachment,” Smith said. “When I left in 2014, I was still in that old detachment, so I was very happy when we transferred back and we were in this big new beautiful building.”
When he returned to 100 Mile House this year Smith said he was happy to see that 100 Mile’s equipment had been modernized along with the new office.
“Back when I was last here we were sort of the dumping ground for everyone’s broken equipment, it seemed. It’s turned around where now we’re part of a core group of detachments,” Smith said. “People come here to really be part of a developing team, and I think it has a proud tradition.”
Over the last century-and-a-half, Smith said, the RCMP has evolved from the stereotypical broad-shouldered, stoic, buzz-cut men with military backgrounds. Nowadays officers can have backgrounds in nursing, carpentry and education, and the Force includes more women and minorities.
“There has been a huge change in culture within the organization. In the past, we were based on a military system and people didn’t have a lot of time to answer calls properly,” Smith said. “Today we receive a lot of training in de-escalation and conflict resolution, which has led to a change in the detachment. There isn’t the attitude of ‘It’s the RCMP first and then your family.’ It’s really changed to helping employees maintain a work-life balance.”
Smith said 100 Mile House has become one of the departments that many B.C. RCMP officers pass through at least once during their career. Indeed, he noted that many of them later return to 100 Mile House to take up ranching, which speaks to how welcoming the community is.
“It’s really interesting to be part of the group of detachment members that have come through here. I know so many members who have come through this department and continued on with their careers,” Smith said.
“It seems like there are a few places in British Columbia that everyone goes through, and 100 Mile is one of those detachments.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
