Pat Cahill takes command of the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have a new commanding officer in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Assistant Commissioner Pat Cahill has served in the role since August, and is replacing Jennifer Ebert. He was officially sworn in on Tuesday.

Born and raised in St. John's, Cahill has spent 32 years in policing. He told reporters Tuesday that he believes his connection to the province and its people will help him in his new role.

"It gives you ... a little bit of insight into the communities that we serve," he said. "It helps give me a good perspective of where we're going, and what we need to do."

Cahill said his first order of business is to address resourcing concerns, which he says has become a bigger issue in recent years.

Recruitment efforts paired with commitments from the provincial government have been helpful in that, he said, especially the RCMP's work to hire cadets and assign them to rural Newfoundland before they go off for training.

"I want to get the seats back in, filled throughout the province. And, you know, get our visibility up and get [to] doing things that ... make Newfoundlanders and Labradorians feel safe," he said.

"We have really great people who work hard in and out every day. And we're going to do our best to make Newfoundland, again, the safest province in Canada to live."

Ebert, who has served as the commanding officer in Newfoundland and Labrador for the last 2½ years, is leaving the province to take a new position at the national RCMP headquarters in Ottawa.

She said she'll have great memories of the province and career moments she'll look back on with pride, like her involvement in investigating 2023 Titan submersible implosion and closing the investigation into the murder of Jennifer Hillier-Penney.

"In my time here, there was some incredible work done," she said. "I learned the Newfoundland saying, 'Best kind.' Truly, that's how I've felt when I've been here about the people that are here."

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