A decrease in recruitment enrollees this year has become a problem for the RCMP.
Normally, about 1600 people sign up to become RCMP members, but this year, they struggled to see 300 join the team.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki notes it's not just happening in the RCMP.
"It's all law enforcement," notes Lucki. "All professions are struggling to get people in the door. With COVID, we had to close down our training academy for a while. We're not graduating as many as we have. We're on a big recruiting blitz," says Lucki. "So, if anybody is interested in the RCMP, especially in Manitoba, they should come forward because there is a uniform with their name on it. There are a lot of experienced police officers that want to come from other police agencies. We encourage that. We are the police agency of choice."
Lucki acknowledges that she is a little biased.
"It's about making sure that our recruiting system is a well-oiled machine so that we can get people in the door," continues Lucki. "We are piloting what's called a Recruitment Evaluation Centre. They just did one such evaluation centre here in Manitoba as a pilot. It brings in 20-30 applicants interested in joining the RCMP, doing things with their medical, hearing, and eyesight, and then looking at their psychological well-being, looking at their character, and showing them some of the scenarios that they would be involved in as police officers. It's so that there are no surprises when they do go through the application process."
She explains it allows the RCMP to perform much of the required processing of application but is more about providing the public with insight into what it is to be an RCMP officer.
The first pilot project took place in Prince Edward Island.
"We've done about five or six since then, but the most recent one, I think, was here in Manitoba," adds Lucki.
Lucki says, above all, she wants you to know about the great work that's done each and every day by the men and women out in the frontline, as well as all the men and women who enable those people.
"There's so much great work being done," says Lucki. "There has been a lot of negativity towards policing, not just the RCMP, but policing in general. But I know each and every day, our members go out to keep Canadians safe, and that's my message."
She urges everyone to keep holding confidence in the RCMP or our local police jurisdiction because each and every day they're there to make Canadians safe.