Fallen B.C. RCMP officer commemorated during Vancouver Island procession

VICTORIA – People lined the streets to pay their respects Thursday as a motorcade of officers from police departments across southern Vancouver Island escorted the body of one of their own.

Const. Sarah Beckett, an 11-year member of the West Shore RCMP, was killed while on duty in a two-vehicle crash at a Langford intersection early Tuesday.

The 32-year-old woman had been with the RCMP since 2005 and left behind a husband and two young children.

The convoy of police cruisers flashing their lights started out at Victoria General Hospital, at one point driving beneath a large Canadian flag hung between the extended ladders of two fire trucks, and ended at the Victoria airport.

Officers gathered along the edge of the highway to salute the procession, which was flanked by a contingent of police motorcycles, while vehicles passing in the opposing lanes slowed and honked their support.

The RCMP could not be reached for comment on why Beckett’s body was being taken to the airport.

Other emergency personnel were also on hand to pay their respects, including representatives from the province’s ambulance and sheriff services, as well as various fire departments.

RCMP Cpl. Janelle Shoihet said Mounties are conducting a criminal investigation, and Saanich police have confirmed they are responsible for looking into the circumstances of the collision that killed Beckett.

“We have a full crash-analyst team here at Saanich,” said acting Sgt. Jereme Leslie of the Saanich force. “We have all of the equipment and staffing power to do that.”

Investigators will consult with Crown counsel before deciding whether to lay charges, Shoihet said.

The Mounties say the other driver involved in the crash suffered non-serious injuries and officers took him into custody shortly after the incident Tuesday morning. He was released the following day without charges.