Vernon/ North Okanagan Supt. Shawna Baher
Image Credit: RCMP
May 02, 2018 - 1:05 PM
VERNON - Vernon’s new top cop will bring expertise in the opioid crisis when she arrives in the North Okanagan.
The RCMP, City of Vernon and other North Okanagan communities announced today, May 2, that Insp. Shawna Baher was selected as the new Vernon North Okanagan Regional RCMP Detachment Commander, following the retirement of Jim McNamara.
“After a rigorous application and interview process, I am pleased to welcome Insp. Shawna Baher to the community and to the position of detachment commander for the Vernon/North says in a release. “I look forward to working closely with Insp. Baher as she moves into her new role and continues the tradition of strong vision and leadership at the detachment. My thanks to Acting Superintendent Gord Stewart for his leadership over the past months and during the transition to the new detachment commander.”
The regional detachment serves Vernon, Coldstream, Spallumcheen, Armstrong, Enderby, Lumby, Falkland and the Splatsin and Okanagan First Nations.
The B.C. RCMP’s Southeast District Commander, Chief Supt. Brad Haugli, says Baher will be a good fit for the North Okanagan.
“Insp. Baher has a vast and diverse background in operational policing across the province and is familiar with the varied challenges faced by large and small communities similar to those served by the detachment. I know that she will continue to build on and expand the numerous initiatives already underway in the North Okanagan area,” Haugli says.
Baher was previously in charge of proactive enforcement in the Surrey Detachment, which encompasses the Drug Unit, Gang Task Force, Property Crime/Auto Crime Teams, Traffic Enforcement, Criminal Crash Investigative Teams and Criminal Intelligence Unit. She is a 26-year veteran of the RCMP and has held operational and specialized positions in Nanaimo, North Cowichan/Duncan Detachment and Penticton prior to Surrey, including in drug investigations and organized crime.
She is an expert drug witness in Provincial and Supreme Court and a subject matter expert for fentanyl and associated analogues. She has actively addressed the opiate crisis by forming new initiatives and being proactively involved with other stakeholders in the Lower Mainland. She is very knowledgeable in issues impacting vulnerable populations and anticipates working with stakeholders within the North Okanagan communities to address these issues locally, states thew release.
No formal start date has yet been established but Insp. Baher says she is looking forward to returning to the Southeast District.
“I am excited to live in and be involved with such a beautiful and vibrant community,” she says.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2018