Retired Staff Sergeant with the Battlefords RCMP and current Battlefords area resident, Darcy Woolfitt is being recognized with the Canadian Order of Merit of the Police Forces for his service and contributions to the community.
The award was presented to him by Governor General of Canada Mary Simon at a special ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa recently.
Woolfitt was one of 118 appointees invested into the Order of Merit of the Police Forces for exceptional service.
The Order of Merit of the Police Forces honours leadership and exceptional service and distinctive merit displayed by the members of Canadian police services, and recognizes their commitment to service in Canada. The primary focus of the award is to recognize “exceptional merit, contributions to policing, and community development.”
Woolfitt was humbled to receive the recognition.
“I’m speechless for having received such an honour,” he told battlefordsNOW.
Woolfitt noted the award recognizes the totality of recipients’ policing service, including having an exemplary career, and having a positive impact on the community and the province in which they serve.
Woolfitt has spent 25 years serving with the RCMP. From that time, 16 years overall he has been in the Battlefords all together.
“I completed my first six years in North Battleford,” he said. “Then I was in Buffalo Narrows, La Loche, then in Regina on an integrated team down there, then in Outlook, then back to North Battleford. The last year of service I was in charge of the RCMP Provincial Crime Reduction Teams.”
Being involved in the community is also an important focus for Woolfitt, who has contributed many years as an active volunteer.
“Since I’ve been in North Battleford, I was involved with the Battlefords Minor Hockey Association. I volunteered on the board there,” he said. “I was actively involved with Battlefords Minor Baseball, and I’ve been a board member on the Boys and Girls Club [BGC Battlefords] now for 12 years.”
Since retiring from the RCMP in 2021, Woolfitt has been employed at Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI).
Looking back over the years, Woolfitt said he first became interested in a career with the RCMP as a young boy growing up in Nova Scotia, where he met some kind RCMP officers who visited his school with their police dog.
“They were always super friendly,” he said. “It seemed to grab my interest right from when I was a kid.”
Woolfitt mentioned he has enjoyed his long career serving with the RCMP, and is glad to now pass on the torch to the next generation that follows.
“There are a lot of good young people coming up, and they will continue to do a good job,” he said.
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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com
On Twitter: @battlefordsnow
