Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

RCMP RECRUITING

Recruits in Kamloops learn what it takes to become an RCMP officer

Nov 14, 2019 | 5:07 PM

KAMLOOPS — The RCMP’s recruiting team made its way through Kamloops today (Nov. 14), explaining to eager recruits what it takes to become a police officer in Canada.

“This is a career that is like no other,” says Const. Erika Dirsus. “You get to help people, you get some excitement, you get some boredom of course, but we’re looking for those kinds of people.”

Interested recruits in Kamloops learned that from the initial application, becoming an RCMP officer can take between one to two years.

Dawson Suderman was one of the people who arrived at the presentation, and already had an idea of what the process looks like.

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“Lot of forms (to fill out). Got to get your hearing and vision tested, and submit that. And then do polygraphs and all types of proving yourself,” he says. “It’s a long process, so hopefully it goes well.”

That training period includes six months of physical and mental testing at Depot in Regina.

“I talked to someone I went to high school with who just graduated from Depot, and he said ‘Get in shape’.”

Using its career website, and recruiting presentations like the one held in Kamloops, Dirsus says the RCMP is looking to bring in 1,200 to 1,300 new members on a yearly basis.

She adds that the numbers go beyond just wanting to replace retiring officers.

“We need more police officers. We need more bodies on the street,” Dirsus says. “The population is booming all across Canada, and we need more police officers.”

Since the federal police force began more than 100 years ago, Dirsus says the RCMP knows that the skill set needed to combat crime has also changed.

Even after her own 24 years of service, Dirsus says the need for new knowledge has grown.

“We didn’t have Facebook back then, we didn’t have a lot of what we have now in terms of technology and the internet… So if you have a background in computer science or anything like that, definitely we’re looking for that kind of skill.”

Besides needing to handle the obvious physical demands of the job, recruits can come from a variety of backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and ages.

“We’re looking for people basically who want to make a difference in their community. Who understand that there are challenges, there are ups and downs, but mostly it’s a position, it’s a profession where you get to become something much larger than life, larger than yourselves every day.”