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Yellowknife RCMP commander announces transfer

The head of RCMP "G" Division is moving on from his post as Yellowknife detachment commander.

Insp. Matt Peggs, who took over as division boss in August of 2015, announced Monday he'll be departing from his position on Feb. 26 to oversee a federal branch of policing in London, Ontario.

Sharing the news during a council meeting Monday, Peggs was commended for his service by Mayor Mark Heyck, who presented the outgoing commander with a gift bag.

"Thank you for your time and contributions to the community," Heyck said. "It's been wonderful to have you and your family here."

City councillor Julian Morse echoed Heyck's praise for Peggs and highlighted his contributions in "improving the community" and the downtown.

During his time at the detachment's helm, Peggs said he's most proud of the division's increased involvement and visibility within the community.

Brendan Burke/NNSL photo. Mayor Mark Heyck thanked Insp. Matt Peggs for his service following the announcement the current Yellowknife RCMP detachment commander would be transferring from his post on Feb. 26.

"The people are the police and the police are the people, and it's important that we're seen that way - that we're not a force off to ourselves and that we're a part of the community," Peggs told  Yellowknifer outside the chamber Monday.

"The big thing that I've seen in my time here is when the police are able to partner with other social agencies and deal with some of the problems that really the police can't solve. It frees up our time to do a better job of the police work we do."

Peggs said this increased cooperation between community groups has allowed the detachment to focus on drug enforcement and impaired driving initiatives.

"We've started to address some of the downtown issues that used to take up a tonne of our time. We're now seeing better results from some of the things only we can do," he said.

Sgt. Alexandre Laporte will be assuming the role of detachment commander.