RCMP

[MetisHaze]

Hey Guys,

My suitability interview is in 2 weeks, and I've been in the hiring process for almost 6 months. I guess you could say that my application is going through a little faster than others. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me regarding my interview? Second, are there any aboriginals in this forum? Last, I've heard all kinds of stories about minorites and aboriginals getting hired with more ease, is this true, whats the real deal?

[Impy]

MetisHaze said:

Hey Guys,

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me regarding my interview? Second, are there any aboriginals in this forum? Last, I've heard all kinds of stories about minorites and aboriginals getting hired with more ease, is this true, whats the real deal?

Re: the interview, take a bottle of water with you because it is a lot of talking. Go to the CPS website and look at their personal disclosure form to get your dates and events prepped (http://www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/police/recruiting/pdf/personal_disclosure.pdf).
Re: getting hired with more ease, the only "easier part" is getting the application package based on your results from the RPAT. Cut-off marks for particular ethnic groups may be lower, but at the end of the day you still have to compete with yourself in all other aspects of the recruiting phase.

[guest]

Doesn't the RCMP have an sort of excellerated program for natives? The only caveat is that you had to go back and police a native reserve? Same milestones and benchmarks to pass but a significantly excellerated program. Has anyone else heard of this?

[Noreaster]

Posted by: guest Posted on: Feb 17th, 2004, 11:02am
Doesn't the RCMP have an sort of excellerated program for natives? The only caveat is that you had to go back and police a native reserve? Same milestones and benchmarks to pass but a significantly excellerated program. Has anyone else heard of this?


The Force does have a program where by they take applicants from Reserves and put them through Depot in the same troop. Usually they come from G and V Divisions... and they return there as well. However, excellerated is not a term I would use. I've been told by some members that they can spend an extra 3 weeks at Depot, for a variety of reasons. Its no secret that educational standards on the Reserves can be sometimes poor, and most applicants from North of 60 have a hard time adapting to driving standards on surface streets... however I hear that they're excellent with skidoos and quads.

Fyi... hope that helps.

Some guy out east who knows what he's talking about...

[guest]

I though I heard about that RCMP program. Do native people have to go through the same drawn out process (sometime up to 2 years) as everyone else to get in or are they fast tracked to depot?

[RJB2004]

Guest-guest said:

I though I heard about that RCMP program. Do native people have to go through the same drawn out process (sometime up to 2 years) as everyone else to get in or are they fast tracked to depot?

From the couple of Cst I know who went through the aboriginal program it took them the same amount of time. No fast tracking.

[RJB2004]

Does anyone else remember when this thread was full of applicants and people off to depot??
Ahh the good ol' days.

[EMSaddict]

Guest-RJB2004 said:

Does anyone else remember when this thread was full of applicants and people off to depot??
Ahh the good ol' days.

Guest-RJB2004,

I am trying to pass along this site to as many other applicants as I know. There are probably more here than we see, lurking as I do. Plus with all the sites of people in the application process and at depot posting their daily activities, I have found most questions I have are answered by reading their Journals.

Cheers!
Applicant/Depot bound sometime soon....I hope.

[yyz]

My Time Line: O Division

sep, 2002 - Info Session
sep 2002 - RPAT
Oct 2002 - Application Package
Nov 2002 - Pare
feb 2003 - Regular Member Interview & Security Interview
Jun 2003 - Background started
..............................
no info after that ....
Thing seem to be going realy slow these days, I wounder
if that bacause all the changes in Ottawa
arv

[yyz]

Mounties stymied by lack of new recruits
$250,000 recruiting study: Applications drop at same time as retirements rise

Tom Blackwell
National Post


Wednesday, October 15, 2003



A wave of retirements, combined with rigorous recruiting standards, has left the RCMP and other police forces across Canada with a shortage of new officers.


The RCMP is launching a "comprehensive" look at its recruiting as it tries to reverse a steady drop in job applications at a time when mass retirements are beginning to thin the force's ranks.

Across Canada, police departments are grappling with the largest demand for personnel in decades -- the result of Baby Boomers retiring in waves -- and a shrinking pool of men and women eager to join the thin blue line.

The RCMP issued a tender recently for a study, expected to cost up to $250,000, on its recruiting system and a strategy for making the program more efficient.

The force has faced a drop in the number of applications over the last several years because of changing demographics, limited marketing by the RCMP, a shortage of skilled recruiting staff and a long, rigorous hiring process, according to tender documents.

"The impact of these factors, individually and collectively, puts a tremendous pressure on the recruitment program in its efforts to enrol high-quality applicants," the documents say.

RCMP officials could not provide long-term statistics yesterday, but said the number of applicants taking the agency's aptitude test had declined to about 7,700 in 2002-03 from more than 9,000 two years earlier.

Among other things, the study will look at modifying the procedure applicants must follow to get into the Mounties. From application to the start of training can take six to 18 months, due to background checks and other hurdles, said Sgt. Jocelyn Mimeault.

The review will also look at using computer technology to screen applications at an early stage, he said.

"The RCMP recognizes that it must do more to convey the message that it is recruiting," added Sgt. Mimeault.

The Mounties are not alone. Ontario police services are meeting for a three-day conference beginning today in Mississauga to discuss recruitment strategies, aided by advice from private communications and marketing firms.

"Before there were too many and we just picked the best. Now we don't have enough people [applying]," said Sophie Roux, spokeswoman for the Canadian Professional Police Association, an umbrella group for police unions.

"There is a greater need for recruits and yet there are fewer people knocking at the doors of police academies."

The Ontario Provincial Police, for instance, received about 5,500 job applications during the most recent five-year period for which statistics are available, with 1,500 jobs available.

That is barely one-quarter of the 20,000 applications over a similar five-year stretch a decade earlier, said Chief Superintendent Jay Hope of the Ontario Provincial Police.

No one in the sector seems to know exactly why fewer people are clamouring to become a police officer, once among the most sought-after of occupations.

Chief Supt. Hope said part of the problem is that Canada has become a more multicultural society, yet police have had little success recruiting from some of those growing new ethnic groups.

"Police forces haven't tapped into that diversity," he said.

Young people with post-secondary education -- the ideal target for police recruiters -- also have a wealth of options, from careers in thriving high-tech industries to jobs that take them to other parts of the world, said Chief Supt. Hope.

Still, he said police could do better at marketing their profession, which can include everything from investigating homicides to running computer networks.

Calgary police appear to be seeing fewer applications these days, despite the fact that demand for officers is way up, said Staff Sergeant Bob Ritchie, head of the recruitment office.

There were years in the last decade or two when the force hired no one, or just one or two officers, he said. But the department trained five classes of 24 recruits each in 2003, and may have to bring in even more rookies next year both to replace retiring officers and expand the force to match the city's growing population, said Staff Sgt. Ritchie.

Recruiters travel to career fairs at colleges and universities across the country, although this year the force is concentrating on Western Canada, playing up the appeal of Calgary itself and the strength of the Alberta economy, he said.

A decade or so ago, Halifax police would have received 1,000 applications for every 20 positions. It recently hired 23 officers, from among a pool of about 450 applicants, said Sergeant Don Spicer. But he said the force still considers that to be a large number and is not worried about a shortage of qualified candidates.

Unlike many of their counterparts across Canada, Vancouver police seem to have no trouble attracting applicants, said Constable Sarah Bloor. As many as 700 people have lined up at recent information sessions to fill in applications, she said.

[guest]

Maybe if the RCMP quit screwing around their applicants lives and shortened the application process they might keep and/or attract more applicants. Why would people choose the RCMP which can take up to two years over some place like CPS that can do it in uner 6 months?

Can't wait for the RCMP to officially add the poly to thier process. They will see half their already precious few applicants drop off like flies.

[Bennett]

With the poly being introduced the length of the background check will be shortened. That is one of the reasons for bringing it in.
How many police forces have rejected you Guest? 3? Easy to see why.

[Ds Wife]

Shortening the process would be one benefit for sure and would surely keep some applicants interested. But I think the main trouble the RCMP has is Depot. Anyone with a family/wife/life would find it very difficult if not impossible to up and leave for such a long period of time without pay! Maybe they should look at local training options in each area and their applications would increase substantially (in my humble opinion of course).

D's Wife

[horn 15]

DID YOU KNOW?

That as of this year the federal government is treating your time at Depot as if it were any other educational institute. Which means that you can claim back all expenses (School related) and an amount that they have specified for each month in training at tax time. Currently for new members you can claim around 400.00 for your room and board at Depot.

That you can receive unemployment insurance while at Depot for those who need a little extra income.

All of this has come around for 2004.

[RJB2004]

Guest-horn said:

DID YOU KNOW?

That as of this year the federal government is treating your time at Depot as if it were any other educational institute. Which means that you can claim back all expenses (School related) and an amount that they have specified for each month in training at tax time. Currently for new members you can claim around 400.00 for your room and board at Depot.

That you can receive unemployment insurance while at Depot for those who need a little extra income.

All of this has come around for 2004.

I heard about this 2 years ago. Depot has been an accredited post-secondary institution for years and years.