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Varied career prepared Noble for post

From investigating serious crimes in rural Alberta to training Afghani police forces, Insp. Ray Noble brings a wealth of experience to Red Deer city RCMP.
Photo by GREGORY SAWISKY/Advocate Staff
Insp. Ray Nobel takes over as Red Deer city detachment commander

From investigating serious crimes in rural Alberta to training Afghani police forces, Insp. Ray Noble brings a wealth of experience to Red Deer city RCMP.

Last month, Noble became the new detachment commander, becoming responsible for about 125 Mounties. He replaces Insp. George Stephenson, who is being transferred to take over the Grande Prairie detachment.

Noble said he’s glad to be stationed in a centre that’s closer to his children.

He and his wife Julianne have two grown children, a son in Calgary and a daughter in Saskatoon.

He’s also working under Supt. Brian Simpson, district commander overseeing both Noble’s office and the one manned by Staff Sgt. Gord Glasgow at Red Deer rural RCMP.

“He (Simpson) was one of the reasons I accepted the position,” Noble said. “He’s very experienced and well regarded.”

Noble’s own career spans nearly 29 years. He’s worked in nine Canadian communities — from Prince Rupert to Whitehorse to Ottawa.

And he’s done it all, including traffic, First Nation policing and organized crime through the Proceeds of Crime unit. He’s been detachment commander before, too.

Noble said he’s keen to see Mounties develop their potential — a practice already supported by Simpson and Stephenson over the past few years.

“You want to ensure your members receive training and exposure to best practices,” he said. “The more effort you put into this, then it becomes a good place to come to for opportunities.”

Giving staff a range of training possibilities makes a difference to the public, too, Noble added.

“You come to work and you are more positive. You put more effort into your work and everyone can see that.”

One thing Red Deer residents shouldn’t expect with Noble are big-scale changes. Making small incremental changes — with goals in mind — is his game plan.

“As the city grows, we’ll need to establish more of a presence to maintain quick response times,” Noble said.

That could mean more precincts, like the recently opened police/fire station on 67th Street. He’s also glad to see the RCMP office at 45th Street and 51st Avenue is being built for future needs as well.

During his one-year stint in Afghanistan, which ended last February, he realized just how different police work can be. Some Afghani officers lived in barracks at the stations they worked at.

They’d stay there for months without seeing family, and sometimes with no pay due to corruption.

And the U.S. military, who he was embedded with, were good at setting goals and accomplishing them.

“It taught me not to jump to conclusions,” he said of his overseas mission.

ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com