The Town of Smithers announced on March 21st that David Pruden filled the vacant Community Safety Officer position.
The position had been vacant since November after former officer Perry Lewin parted ways with the town.
Pruden brings with him decades of experience in policing and bylaw enforcement.
“I’ve lived in BC and the Yukon for a significant amount of time, and I wanted to come back to the area. Being an RCMP officer in Prince Rupert a couple decades ago, I knew the smithers area was beautiful and saw the position became available, so I applied for it.”
He said part of his role is enforcing the town’s bylaws and communicating with government stakeholders.
“I certainly will be reaching out to first nations to build a relationship with folks, ensuring we have good communication with all the stakeholders and other levels of government.”
He added communication with members of the public is something he will be taking seriously.
“I wanna make sure that when people call in that proper documentation is in place so things don’t slip between the cracks and get addressed.”
Pruden is working with the town and other agencies on how homelessness is handled in the community.
He’s also working with RCMP to revive the Citizens on Patrol program.