Whitehorse has a new top cop.
Insp. Mark Wharton took charge of the city’s RCMP detachment at the end of September, replacing Staff Sgt. Tim Walton as commander.
Warton spent the past two years as Saskatchewan’s top criminal intelligence officer. During that time he also worked on the RCMP’s underwater recovery and emergency response teams.
He’s no stranger to the North. He began his 21-year career at an RCMP post in La Ronge, in northern Saskatchewan, before being transferred to the Northwest Territories and what is now Nunavut. He spent 10 years in six different postings, including serving as detachment commander in Broughton Island, now Qikiqtarjuaq, Rae-Edzo and Inuvik.
He went on to become district commander for the Western Arctic, where he oversaw 17 different detachments.
In 2004, Wharton transferred to Regina to supervise information technology at the RCMP’s training base. Before joining the force, Wharton graduated with a degree in computer science from the University of Victoria. (John Thompson)