Kelowna RCMP Supt. Brent Mundle

(ROB MUNRO / iNFOnews.ca)

Superintendent Brent Mundle with the Kelowna RCMP is transferring roles.

"I am thankful to the City of Kelowna not only for the opportunity to lead the RCMP in this community, but also to be welcomed as a part of it. I look forward to continuing to serve and support the city of Kelowna in my new role within the Southeast District," Mundle said in a statement issued by the Kelowna RCMP.

The news comes only two days after Mundle addressed a video, posted on social media, that showed a Kelowna police officer striking a man multiple times in the face during an arrest, though there is no indication that was a factor in the move. The RCMP detachment has also been the subject of multiple controversies in recent years.

Last fall, it became public that out of 169 sexual assault complaints filed with Kelowna RCMP from 2017 through to the summer of 2019, 40 per cent were listed as “unfounded” – meaning the investigating officer did not feel that a crime was attempted or occurred. The national average was 14 per cent.

Mundle oversaw a review of the unfounded files that discovered many of them were not filed correctly.

READ MORE: Kelowna Mounties initiate review of unfounded sex assault files

In the three years he’s been at the detachment, Mundle said in the news conference that there has not been any complaints of this severity regarding the video.

This recent incident will be subject to an internal review. It will not trigger an independent investigation.

READ MORE: Video of Kelowna Mountie striking suspect 'concerning,' says city's top cop

Mundle has been with the Kelowna RCMP for three and a half years. He is now moving to a position within the Southeast District Senior Management Team, according to the statement.

Mayor Colin Basran said Mundle has the council's full support and his transfer is not related to the video or other events involving the RCMP.

"We wish him well in his new position," he said.

Kelowna RCMP media relations officer Jocelyn Noseworthy said the transfer has nothing to do with current events, and the transfer process began "quite some time ago."

Mundle came to Kelowna in July of 2015 as the Operations Officer. He took over from the previous Detachment Commander into the role of Officer in Charge of the Kelowna RCMP in December of 2016, according to the statement.

With 27 years in the RCMP, mostly in Alberta, before moving to B.C., the posting in Kelowna was a homecoming.

"Mundle was excited to return to the Okanagan when he was commissioned to the Operations Officer position at the Kelowna Detachment in 2015," according to the release.  He is originally from the Okanagan.

"My time at the Kelowna Detachment has meant a great deal to me. Working alongside dedicated officers and employees, I feel we accomplished a great deal for the city of Kelowna, implementing many programs and initiatives that will benefit the community and its citizens," said Mundle in the statement. "I am thankful to the City of Kelowna not only for the opportunity to lead the RCMP in this community, but also to be welcomed as a part of it. I look forward to continuing to serve and support the city of Kelowna in my new role within the Southeast District."

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