Mathura moving on

The detachment commander of the Sunshine Coast RCMP has been given a big promotion that will see him take on a new job with the Lower Mainland (E) Division.

Staff Sgt. Vishal Mathura will soon be an inspector and a regional duty officer for E Division.

The promotion takes effect at the beginning of April.

Mathura has over 17 years of experience as a member of the RCMP, which he joined after spending three years in the Canadian Armed Forces and earning his MBA. He’s been Sunshine Coast detachment commander for the past three-and-a-half years.

Mathura told Coast Reporter that earning a commission is the fulfillment of a major career goal, and required him to get permission to apply from the commander of E Division and the director general in Ottawa, as well as face a rigorous interview with a panel of senior officers.

According to the RCMP, regional duty officers monitor operations and coordinate major cross-jurisdictional incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Mathura said those new duties will allow him maintain a connection with the Coast because the detachment is part of E Division, although he’ll have to relocate.

“In my new role I’ll be responsible for resourcing from the Upper Fraser Valley all the way to the Sunshine Coast, so I’ll still have ties to the Sunshine Coast while I’m working” he said.

Since taking the reins at the Sunshine Coast detachment, Mathura has overseen the realignment of the shifts to put the most officers on duty in the right places at the times when call volumes tend to be heaviest.

He says he’s proud to have been able to bring the local detachment from about 70 per cent of its staffing requirement to fully staffed.

“I’m also proud of the strong connections I’ve been able to build between the RCMP and our local governments,” he said. “And I’m proud of my officers. I’m the one that observes their day-to-day work, so I know how dedicated they are.”

The RCMP has already started the search for Mathura’s replacement. Once he takes up his new position, operations NCO, Sgt. Mike Hacker, will serve as acting detachment commander until the vacancy is filled.