The High River RCMP are about to lose one of it's most popular members.

Corporal Blair Schneider is headed to N-West which is short for National Weapons Enforcement Support Team.

He says the community hasn't changed a lot in the almost six years he's been stationed here.

"I think more or less it's stayed pretty close to the same, it's pretty even keeled here in High River, this is a great community, nothing really bad in terms of super violent crime happens here, it's a lot of property crimes," he says. "Although since last year when COVID hit we've been relatively slow, I mean B-and-E's are down, when people are working from home we don't see very many break and enters."

He says generally from what he's seen people are pretty receptive.

"I think we're well liked and well received in the High River community, a lot of us take time and try to get engaged and involved in local events and for that reason I think we have a pretty high approval rate," Cpl. Schneider says.

Many will know Cpl Schneider for his concerts where he's raised money for local charities.

"Pre-COVID I tried to do two or three concerts a year , I'm a piano player, I've been playing piano for close to, the better part of 48 years now I guess, so I try to do some concerts at Carlson's On Macleod, Don and Brenda have been great to me, they offer up the venue and we raise money for different charities, some of which have been the High River Salvation Army Food Bank, Rowan House and Abbeyfield House," he says.

Cpl. Schneider is off to Calgary and N-West, an integrated unit where he'll be partnered up with another RCMP Corporal and Calgary Police Service Detective.

"This unit does everything to do with firearms and weapons, so we assist detachments across the Division with the classification of firearms, the verification, so these firearms have to be tested if there's charges and it's going to court, certificates for court have to be produced and then we assist them with the charges," he says.

"Now with the new legislation the federal government has placed approximately 1,500 assault-type firearms into the prohibited category so we'll be dealing with those too."

Schneider says he loves High River and the people and called it one of the best postings he's had in the RCMP.

His last day at the High River detachment is March 24, 2021.

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