The Winkler Police Service is saying goodbye to two senior officers this year with a combined 50+ years of knowledge and experience.

"You can't go back to them and say, "what did we do back then, what happened there..." we'll miss that," Police Chief Rick Hiebert says.

The retirements also mean temporary leaving the organization with only one administrative position.

"We're full speed ahead trying to fill those positions and perhaps do some restructuring," Hiebert says.

Sergeant Ray Friesen recently retired after more than 20 years with the Winkler Police Service. Inspector Brad Kehler has more than 30 years of experience and will be retiring later next month.

"I think it speaks to the health of an organization when people work their entire career here," Hiebert says. "It's a huge debt of gratitude for the community and police service as a whole... it's a celebration of an awesome career."

Friesen retired earlier this year

With the two retirements and the approval for a new hire in 2017 it means WPS will fill three positions this year.

Thankfully, Hiebert notes they've seen a number of viable applicants.

"The overall quality appears to be higher than we're used to," he says, noting the deadline for applications expired late last week.

They'll bring 10-15 candidates in for a written exam and physical test by the end of the month.

Hiebert says they hoping to promote from within the organization to fill the senior administrative positions.

"We have a great team of police officers that have many years of experience, most 10 years or more," Hiebert says. "No concerns there."