Cpl. Tim Shields, who speaks for the RCMP in British Columbia, says better communication within the force is needed to keep the public informed about Mounties facing criminal charges. (CBC)

It has taken more than a year, but the RCMP on Tuesday released information about an impaired driving charge against one of their own.

RCMP officer Kulwant Singh Malhi, 41, was arrested in October 2007 after a hit-and-run collision in Richmond, B.C., that occurred while he was off duty.

He was charged in March this year with impaired driving, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and failure to remain at the scene of an accident.

This case was never reported until Tuesday when a community newspaper inquired about Malhi's appearance in Richmond provincial court, said Cpl. Tim Shields, a spokesman for the RCMP in British Columbia.

Shields said he was never informed of Malhi's case, even though the RCMP communications department should be the first to know about cases involving members of the force being charged with or facing impaired driving charges.

"This obviously involves a complete lack of judgment. It is something that all of us recognize is a serious threat to public safety. Impaired driving is the No. 1 criminal cause of death in Canada," Shields said.

"I am in charge of communications for the RCMP for all of British Columbia, and I am doing everything in my power to ensure that if an RCMP member is involved in an incident such as this, that it will become public as quickly as possible," he said.

Mountie accused of leaving crash scene

The RCMP held a news conference Tuesday afternoon following Malhi's court appearance in the morning. Malhi will be back in court on Jan. 15.

The crash Malhi is accused of being involved in happened on Oct. 20, 2007. A black Nissan Altima rear-ended a Honda Civic shortly before 3 a.m. at No. 4 and Francis roads, Shields said.

No one was injured in the collision, but about 30 minutes later Richmond RCMP received another 911 call from a motorist about an Altima being driven in an erratic manner southbound on Highway 99.

The caller followed the vehicle to Delta and then Ladner, both suburbs of Vancouver, while staying on the phone with police, Shields said.

The car finally stopped in the driveway of a residence in Ladner.

"Delta police officers arrived minutes later, and the lone male occupant of the Altima was arrested for impaired driving," Shields said.

The Altima turned out to be an unmarked police vehicle.

Other officers facing drunk driving allegations

This is the latest Metro Vancouver police officer to be charged with impaired driving or facing similar charges.

Const. Peter Hodson of the Vancouver Police Department has been charged with impaired driving and will appear in court on Dec. 29.

Const. Tomi Hamner of the New Westminster Police Service is scheduled to appear in provincial court on Dec. 17 to face a charge of impaired driving following a single-vehicle accident in North Vancouver in October.

RCMP Cpl. Benjamin Montgomery Robinson is scheduled to appear in provincial court on Jan. 15 to face a charge of impaired driving causing death. Robinson is a member of the RCMP's Vancouver 2010 integrated security unit.

North Vancouver RCMP Cpl. Darren Baker will be tried on impaired driving charges on Jan. 27, 2009. He was charged after his vehicle was stopped last December by West Vancouver police officers.

Hodson, Hamner and Baker have all been reassigned while their cases proceed in court. Robinson, however, has been suspended with pay.