Northwest RCMP leader promoted months after Terrace transfer
Published 1:30 pm Friday, November 14, 2025
Terry Gillespie, a well-known RCMP officer in the Northwest, is set to become the new Officer in Charge of the West Shore RCMP, just months after transferring from Terrace to Nanaimo.
His promotion to Superintendent comes after only a short time serving as Operations Support Officer in Nanaimo and follows the August retirement of Superintendent Todd Preston.
“I’m truly honoured and excited to join the West Shore RCMP and to serve these vibrant and growing communities,” Gillespie said in a release. “I look forward to working closely with our dedicated officers and staff, municipal and Indigenous leaders, as well as our community partners to continue delivering safe, responsive, and community-focused policing.”
Gillespie will officially assume his new role in the new year.
Before arriving on Vancouver Island in June, Gillespie served as the Officer in Charge of the Terrace RCMP detachment, where he was commissioned as Inspector in 2023.
His time in Terrace was marked by an ongoing effort to address chronic staffing shortages and secure provincial funding to support targeted enforcement. In 2024 and again this year, he successfully applied for grants to support overtime costs, enabling the detachment to run foot patrols downtown in warmer months and deploy e-bike patrols.
The Terrace detachment also participated in a province-wide campaign focused on repeat and violent offenders.
Prior to his Terrace posting, Gillespie led detachments in Smithers and Haida Gwaii and served as District Advisory NCO for the Kitimat-Stikine region.
He began his RCMP career in 2006 with assignments in Squamish and Burns Lake, steadily rising through the ranks to Staff Sergeant by the time he arrived in Smithers in 2019.
An RCMP press release states that Gillespie has led detachments in communities with some of the province’s highest crime rates, where his work has included efforts to improve morale, staffing levels, and engagement with municipal and Indigenous partners.
The release notes that he has supported operational changes and programs intended to enhance officer safety and public confidence.
Now promoted to Superintendent, Gillespie brings nearly two decades of experience to West Shore RCMP, which serves several fast-growing municipalities west of Victoria, including Langford, Colwood, View Royal, Highlands, and Metchosin.
Gillespie holds a diploma in Business Administration and has completed advanced studies in Police Leadership and Management at Dalhousie University, along with executive development through the RCMP.
– With files from Rod Link
