Saskatchewan RCMP say a former Mountie is charged in the sexual assault of three boys under the age of 18 while he was an officer in Yorkton.

Police say Alan John Davidson lived in Yorkton from 1986 to 1993 and had contact with children as a member of the RCMP and as a hockey coach.

Insp. Jennifer Ebert said the alleged cases were reported after Davidson was charged in British Columbia with eight counts of sexual assault.

She said after that information was made public in March 2014, two individuals contacted the police through a tip line and a third reported an alleged sexual assault to an RCMP detachment.

"Investigators have collected a great deal of information, they've interviewed over 100 people," Ebert said.

"It's important today for us to help with the memory recall of individuals out there who may have been witness to these (alleged) assaults and ... potential victims," she said.

Davidson, who is 59, was arrested in B.C., on Thursday and is to appear in Yorkton court next week.

Ebert said Davidson moved across the Prairies between 1981 and 2014, where he was involved in community activities including baseball and hockey leagues.

She said she wasn't aware of any disciplinary action brought against him during his time as a Mountie.

"The key thing here is that he was a serving member of the RCMP, that matter has been investigated and he has been charged," she said.

Davidson was an officer from 1982 to 1996, and was posted in Regina, Coronach, Lloydminster, Yorkton and North Battleford.

"He would have come in contact frequently with members of the public in each of those communities," Ebert said.

Police said that after he left the RCMP, he lived in Camrose and Calgary in Alberta before moving to Ladysmith, B.C.