Williams Lake’s newest top cop has seen Canada from coast-to-coast-to-coast and he said he now knows what he likes — smaller communities and access to the outdoors.
Based on this, Inspector Robert Lake said he is pretty happy to have landed right where he is.
“It’s absolutely beautiful country,” said the avid kayaker, fisherman and outdoorsman.
He and his wife have already explored some of the area’s outdoors from Bella Coola to Prince George and south as far as Kamloops, Revelstoke and Golden. Lake’s phone was filled with photos of him or his wife holding some beautiful fish they had caught during their brief time in the province.
“There’s enough to explore here I don’t think I need to leave the province for a couple years,” said Lake, who brought his wife and two children with him to the lakecity. His daughter is 22 years old and is studying at TRU in Williams Lake, and his son has taken a job with the city of Williams Lake.
“It’s a perfect fit for me, and my wife is a carbon copy of me, we’re outdoors people,” said Lake.
Fishing is more than a hobby for the couple, and their passion for the sport has netted them both cover photos on fishing magazines. Lake has written for the Newfoundland Sportsman’s Magazine and he holds three fishing records in New Brunswick, his home province, and one in Manitoba.
Lake said he found his way to a career with the RCMP by following his moral compass.
“I’d like to think that most people get into policing because they want to improve their communities, create a safer community, a better environment,” he said.
Policing was a career shift for Lake, who first got a diploma in electronics engineering technology. At 29 he decided policing was the right path for him, and made the change.
With his altruistic intentions now focussed on Williams Lake, he said the lakecity has everything a person needs for services, having lived in much smaller and more remote communities.
This is Lake’s 11th transfer, most recently coming from the Morris and Emerson detachments south of Winnipeg, Manitoba, bordering the United States.
Before this, he was at the RCMP headquarters in Winnipeg itself, heading up the divisional tactical training program. He spent a year before that leading major case management, and before that he was in Thompson, Manitoba.
But prior to Manitoba, Lake spent a lot of time on the East Coast of the country, including Grand Falls, New Brunswick, and then Goose Bay, Labrador, where he was in charge of forensic identification for Labrador and western Newfoundland.
Grand Falls, New Brunswick, and The Pas, Manitoba, were both spots where he worked in forensic identification. General duty stints prior to this included Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, and Baie Verte, Newfoundland. His first every post was in Flin Flon, Manitoba. He did not apply for these posts based on their fun names, but he tried to make the most of each place while he was there.
So far, Inspector Robert Lake has spent about seven months in his new posting, and he said he and his leadership team at the detachment have been getting their legs under them. He said the leadership has a depth of knowledge from different areas he thinks may bring a new perspective.
“It’s been busy, but it’s been good and I think that we’re moving in a good direction right now,” he said.
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