Lokken sworn in as 60th commanding officer of Depot Division

Chief Supt. Mike Lokken has returned to where his RCMP career started.

On Tuesday, RCMP Depot Division — the force’s training facility in Regina — formally welcomed Lokken as its 60th commanding officer. The product of Codette is taking over for outgoing commanding officer Sylvie Bourassa-Muise, who was sworn in in 2021.

The day featured a formal ceremony, including a parade and an ensign party.

“It means a lot,” Lokken told reporters after the ceremony. “When I went through training 27 years ago, had you told me that I would be standing here today as one of the commanding officers in this great organization, I wouldn’t have believed you.

“I was content being a constable on the frontlines serving Canadians. That’s where it’s at and that’s what I enjoy. But with different opportunities that are presented to you, your circle of influence changes (and) your circle of influence grows, and so when you’re able to do that, I think you’d be remiss if you didn’t take those opportunities.”

Lokken previously worked with the Mounties in Manitoba, Nunavut, Alberta and Saskatchewan. In 2018, he was a detachment commander in Alberta before being promoted in 2022 to superintendent; that’s when he became Depot’s training officer.

Lokken said recruitment and modernization are two of the biggest hurdles he’ll have to face as Depot’s commanding officer.

“Not everyone wants to be a police officer right now,” he said. “It is a very difficult job, but I can tell you it’s very rewarding and (our major hurdle right now is) getting enough people who want to join the ranks.”

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme attended and participated in the ceremony. He also said modernization and recruitment are key issues.

“The organization is constantly changing,” said Duheme, who agreed that fewer people are interested in police work.

“We’ve changed our approach when it comes to the question of mobility within the organization — where we want to get people back within their respective province,” Duheme said.

Last March, the final report from the public inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia was released. Duheme cited the report’s recommendation that officers should have a knowledge of the history and culture of the communities in which they serve.

“Since we’ve removed the mobility clause, what we’re seeing is an increase of people demonstrating their interest,” Duheme said.

The report also recommended closing Depot and replacing it with a Canadian Police College, suggesting the RCMP should phase out the Depot model by 2032 and create a three-year degree-based model of police education for all police services in Canada

Duheme said he committed to review every recommendation from the report, but said only 33 of them required the RCMP’s lead as opposed to other government departments.

Lokken praised Bourassa-Muise for her tenure at the training centre.

“She came at a very difficult time to Depot in the midst of COVID, in the midst of a number of a number of changes where we had to adapt to providing excellent training while at the same time respecting health measures and putting new police officers out onto the street,” Lokken said.

“We couldn’t simply just shut down, we couldn’t just simply close our doors, we had to continue business and she had a lot of late nights focusing on that.”