February 25th, 2005

Police work is far more than just about fighting crime. It is about providing a community service to ensure safety and the security of property by preserving the peace and upholding the law. For Dustin Wilkins, an aspiring Police officer, policing is about making a positive contribution to society and ensuring that the community he lives in is safer and more secure. Every day, policemen are out on the streets serving those in need, preventing crimes, keeping order, and making sure that the general public live in a safe environment. Policing is not a career choice, but a life choice and unlike other jobs, policing is often a round-the-clock job: as the representatives of the communities they serve, they must maintain a level of professionalism at all times, even when off the beat.

A career in Policing may be taxing, but the rewards are incredible. Policemen are our modern day Superheroes; their ability to help and contribute to the community in such important ways is not only inspiring but tremendously gratifying. Here, one officer describes what it feels like to become a member of the Police Force, “When it is time for you to walk up on stage and receive your badge, a badge that represents honor, dedication and pride, it will mean something.” It is this overwhelming feeling of pride that makes policing such a worthwhile profession for most.

There are other benefits too that contribute to making this profession so rewarding. Consider the fact that no two days are the same and that the tasks at hand require an extreme level of both mental and physical stamina. “The opportunity to get involved in a work environment that is ever changing and requires the ability to adapt is very appealing,” says Wilkins about his reasons for wanting to join the force. Plus there are career-related motives to being an officer too, like excellent pay, benefits and great job security. Add first-rate training and that healthy dose of job satisfaction, and for some 10,000 Canadians who apply to join the RCMP every year this challenging, yet rewarding, career is perfect.

Job opportunities in the force are on the rise too, contributed by four main factors:

• An ageing police force . ‘Baby Boomers’, which make up the majority of the police force today, are getting older and there is a looming retirement crisis. Nearly one in four police officers in Canada will be eligible to retire within the next five years.
  
• New challenges the world is facing, like globalization and developing technologies. These challenges have intensified the demand for public safety and increased the need for police officers to serve the community.

• Diversity . A greater emphasis placed in multicultural police recruitment. Since Canada houses so many different minority groups, it is essential to have representatives of each group present when serving that community.

• Community Policing . An important factor in the increased demand for police officers, Community Policing (different from diversity in the police force), is a new style of service delivery now practiced by police services across North America, and requires police to work with the community to find the problems and solve them, rather than just reacting to the manifestations of these problems. For Community Policing to work, the police must have a greater presence within the community and must be viewed as partners in crime prevention, not just as law enforcement agents. This is a definite shift in the role of the police and its success relies heavily on empowered, sensitive, and professional police officers who are able to identify the source of the problem and work together with the community to find a solution.

It is evident with all these new changes and challenges facing the force that the demand for new recruits is out there; but the requirements to join are not always easy and it is important for hopeful candidates to ask themselves, ‘Am I the right person for the job? Do I really have what it takes?’

The individuals who get hired have the ability to confidently and quickly take charge of a situation, establish rapport with strangers, resolve conflict, demonstrate compassion, be persuasive, and at all times remains respectful and in control. Important skills to have are good judgment and the competence to accurately gather information – after all, someone’s life may depend on an officer’s ability to judge a situation and recall details. Also, the majority of police activity involves human interaction, so it is critical to have excellent interpersonal skills. At times officers must be aggressive and dominant, and on other occasions patient and understanding; the ability to accomplish this, while maintaining control, is a major deciding factor for police recruitment. A solid knowledge of federal and provincial laws and their enforcement, fluency in either English or French, and the ability to meet the physical and medical requirements are also mandatory.

It is true that some of these requirements are inherent, but for the most part the skills needed to join the Police Force must be learned. The Thames Valley College of Business and IT has developed its Police Foundations course to provide individuals with the best foundation and basic skills needed for successful employment in the field of policing. The distinctive aspect to the Thames Valley Police Course is that it focuses more on the academic qualifiers rather than the physical, and offers courses in Sociology, Psychology, Communication and Life Management, as well as Law, Ethics, and Diversity Issues. The 940 hours of concentrated class time prepares future police officers for challenging situations and provides them with the rational and mental tools needed to deal with these circumstances. Thames Valley College believes that this is an essential element to understanding and interacting with communities, and is a major factor in ensuring the success of a police candidate. Thames Valley also adds Keyboarding skills, First Aid and CPR, physical fitness training, and 100 hours of community service to their course curriculum, making it one of the most comprehensive programs available. This ensures that graduating students have the tools necessary to pass the police and RCMP requirements, which include the RCMP Police Aptitude Test – RPAT, the Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation – PARE, and an intense series of interview assessments and psychological examinations.

As the world changes, so too do the communities and the police required to protect them. G. Zaccardelli, Commissioner of the RCMP states that, “The RCMP is at a turning point. Society is changing. The demands are formidable. Increasingly [the RCMP] is being asked to re-evaluate their role as Canada’s national police force…The future belongs to those who think and act creatively, who anticipate change and position themselves to lead it.”

Thames Valley College is aware of these new challenges and developments in society and understands that, as a result, the new police recruits have to be better equipped than ever before. The Thames Valley Police Foundations course not only trains graduates to rise up to the challenges facing the police force, but to do so as leaders of the community.

	151 Dundas St., 5th Floor Market Tower London , Ontario N6A 5R7 Canada Telephone: Get Our Phone Number Website: Visit Our Website E-Mail: Ask Us a Question
Page 1 of 1