Staff Sgt. Dean Bridle, left, receives a gift from Air Ronge Mayor Julie Baschuk. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

transfer

Only days remain before RCMP commander leaves La Ronge for Regina

Jan 18, 2024 | 5:00 PM

After serving as the detachment commander for the La Ronge RCMP for the last three-and-a-half years, Staff Sgt. Dean Bridle will be heading to a new posting in Regina next week.

“I think the biggest thing I am proud of is the relationships I was able to build in this community with the three elected leadership groups,” he said. “I have been slowly winding down and I have been talking to them, and that’s what they have spoken about the most and talked about is the relationship we were able to have.”

Bridle was first posted in La Ronge in 1996, but he left for many years before returning as the detachment commander in August 2020. His last day in La Ronge will be Jan. 25 as he has taken a position with the RCMP’s Criminal Operations unit as a risk reviewer.

“So, anything that could pose a risk to the RCMP, we will be making sure that’s reviewed and if there are any deficiencies that can be addressed, stuff like that,” Bridle explained. “Major incidents, if there’s reviews that need to be done, I will be coordinating stuff like that. It should be very interesting.”

Bridle is also proud of his work in obtaining 18 residences leased for members to live in. He noted that’s important considering the housing shortage in the tri-communities and the difficulty officers could face finding accommodations when posted to La Ronge.

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Another change Bridle was able to make is the duration in which members are posted to La Ronge. It went from a four-year posting to a three-year, and Bridle said that’s important considering the high workload at the detachment which can lead to burnout.

Staff Sgt. Dean Bridle said it was a good experience working with the officers and support staff at the La Ronge RCMP detachment. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

“I’m obviously going to miss La Ronge and the tri-community area,” Bridle said.

“There’s a lot of good working relationships in the community here and I’ve always received a lot of really good support from the communities. It is going to be tough to leave that behind. I’ve seen a lot of good successes over the last years, but everything has a shelf life and I guess it’s time to move on to different adventures and different challenges.”

Bridle attended a regular Air Ronge council meeting on Wednesday, where Mayor Julie Baschuk thanked him for his service to the village. He was also gifted a mug as a token of appreciation.

“Air Ronge was a seen community,” she said. “I know volume-wise of calls, we are much lower than our surroundings, but I feel that the goals and concerns that we had were being heard. We’ve seen the police presence increase in the community and just involvement in communication.”

Bridle will be replaced by Sgt. Dereck Eberle, who will start work in La Ronge on Jan. 29. He’s coming from federal policing in Regina.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com