Police recruitment down in Regina, but not by much
The past year's challenges have had something of an impact in terms of police recruitment in Regina — though not as much as one might expect.
“We in (human resources) have seen a little bit of a drop in terms of not only applicants but interest,” said Sgt. Colin Hegi, recruitment officer with the Regina Police Service's human resources section. “I wouldn't say it's statistically significant ... We're not talking about huge numbers.”
What it's difficult to know, given the current restrictions on face-toface recruitment efforts, is why the small drop.
The past year has challenged police in general, both in terms of COVID-19 restrictions and concerns in North America voiced by groups like Black Lives Matter.
Chief Evan Bray has stated the RPS sat down with representatives of Black and Indigenous communities and was positive about those conversations.
Hegi said he's seen nothing to indicate lower numbers of applicants are due to concerns about racism in policing. More likely, COVID-19 is playing the greatest role, he said.
Police recruitment is split into two sections: applications from those who already want to be police and those who come on board because of proactive recruitment efforts by police.
Hegi said most who apply on their own “really, really want this job.”
“It's not like other jobs where it's kind of like, `It may be kind of interesting to do that,' ” he said.
“I think people have kind of come to the conclusion they either really, really want it or `I don't want to do that at all.' “
It's not unusual for hopefuls to apply to police agencies all over the province or even within other provinces to maximize their chances of being recruited somewhere.
The struggle for police isn't in attracting these individuals, it's in seeking out and relationship-building with communities whose members might not be aware of the opportunities or have questions or concerns about policing.
Const. Dale Mcarthur, Indigenous recruitment liaison officer for the RPS, seeks out candidates of First Nations, Metis or Inuit heritage and presents them with the benefits of a career in policing.
“I can remember being 17 years old and having an RCMP officer come to our school on the First Nation, and I was so impressed by the way they were there not to `I want to talk to somebody about a file' or something but, `Let's play volleyball. Let's play basketball. Have you thought about policing after high school?' ” he said.
“So that really drives my passion to be that person in that officer's shoes and talk to the next generation.”
The lifeblood of the role for Mcarthur is in getting out into the community, whether it's Regina, First Nations or other communities in the province or country, and talking to people.
With COVID-19 preventing in-person gatherings, Mcarthur has embraced technology.
“I started doing a lot of online recruitment presentations which also opened up a lot of doors,” he said.
“I could present to a different province and not leave my own office instead of driving for five hours ... I think online communications is going to be more of an ever-present and continuous tool for me.”
While technology helps, Hegi knows he's missing opportunities to reach out to potential recruits, such as those who play organized sports.
Hegi started in his current role in January 2020 and envisioned rolling up to sports practices and talking to young people there.
Like Mcarthur, he's now doing what he can via technology.
While recruitment of those from visible minority communities continues to pose its own set of challenges, both Hegi and Mcarthur said diversity remains key as the RPS moves forward.
Mcarthur said part of recruiters' roles is ensuring potential applicants have the correct information about what policing in Regina entails.
“Our hiring process isn't the same as, for example, someplace in a city in the U.S.,” Mcarthur said.
“We have different standards, different hiring practices, different policies ... And so we have to really make sure that we're giving the correct information to applicants and at the same time really nurturing new relationships with communities, strengthening current relationships, maintaining relations with different diverse communities and Indigenous populations ... people that want to see representation in justice and policing.”