New police chief ready to hit the ground running

Kirk Robertson says he enjoys the decision making that comes with new role

By Kirk Winter

Incoming Chief of Police Kirk Robertson. Photo: Sienna Frost.

Effective May 18, Kirk Robertson will become the new Kawartha Lakes Police Service (KLPS) chief. The 27-year law enforcement veteran, 22 of that locally, will replace well-respected Chief Mark Mitchell.

As future chief, Robertson realizes there will be many challenges ahead that will need to be dealt with and has already begun to prioritize what he and the department will want to take on in the first few years of his initial five-year contract.

Robertson told the Advocate that he has been thinking about challenging for the chief’s position since he was named inspector in 2019.

“As an inspector, there was more decision-making responsibility (involved in the job), and that was something I enjoyed.”

“I have been lucky enough to have worked in or supervised every police activity the KLPS does,” Robertson added. “I have been able to gain a 360-degree view of policing. I am confident I can hit the ground running. I know the people in the building (the police station) and I know the community.”

When asked what challenges he faces as a new chief, Robertson mentioned managing the growth of the force as Lindsay expands, and finding quality candidates to fill the additional policing positions KLPS will need.

“Kawartha Lakes is experiencing unprecedented growth,” Robertson said. “There will also be growth within the KLPS. Despite the fact that policing is a fantastic job and I still love coming to work every day, recruiting new officers is becoming challenging and ensuring that new officers receive the training they require is going to also be a challenge.”

Robertson pointed out that Lindsay is changing rapidly, “and the KLPS will want to have the staffing in place to meet the challenge of a larger community.”

The incoming chief said the police will continue to work hard with supportive partners like Kawartha Lakes Housing, Ross Memorial Hospital and FourCAST Addiction Services to ensure that individuals in the community who are struggling with mental health and addiction problems get the help they need.

When asked how large the force might grow beyond its current complement of 45 officers, Robertson said the department will “monitor growth as we go because increased population doesn’t necessarily translate to calls for service.”

Robertson said his priorities as new chief will be presenting his first operating budget to council, putting together a growth plan for the department that will deal with staffing to the end of 2026, writing a new strategic plan for the force and ensuring the roll-out of the body camera initiative so that every frontline officer is wearing a camera by the end of this year.

1 Comment

  1. Wallace says:

    So the priorities are the following – grow the “force” ($$) (I thought it was supposed to be a service), present a budget ($$),and get body cams for every cop ($$). Not a peep about dealing with the addicts hanging around everywhere , break-ins and other crimes committed by the usual suspects. Expect a tax hike very soon folks. Yet again, more of our hard earned money will be going to unionized public sector employees instead of our own families.

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