RCMP brings Run with a Recruiter event to Swift Current
The Saskatchewan RCMP hosted a fun recruiting event in Swift Current on Oct. 11 when participants went walking and jogging with officers.
This was the first time that Run with a Recruiter took place in a community outside Regina. It was organized as an open invitation to anyone with questions about a career in the RCMP with no RSVP required.
Const. Steven Watkins from the Proactive Recruiting Unit in Regina was therefore not sure what might happen, but he felt it turned out well.
“We had a good group of people, but in particular, we had someone who traveled almost two hours away to be here today to learn about the RCMP,” he said. “So I think that’s a win.”
Const. Amy Read from the Swift Current municipal RCMP detachment assisted locally with arrangements for the event. She graduated in August from the cadet training program at the RCMP Academy in Regina.
“I was so excited to get on board with this,” she said. “When you graduate, you have to do a project during your sixmonth probation period and in particular, it needs to be on recruiting. When I heard that the recruiting staff would be here at the school, I knew it was a great opportunity to jump on board and help arrange and facilitate our route and timings and where we could meet up.”
The Run with a Recruiter meeting point was outside the main entrance of the Swift Current Comprehensive High School. From there the participants walked or jogged on a route of about five kilometers that took them some distance along the Chinook Parkway before returning to the school.
Watkins noted that this event provides another means for the RCMP to connect with people and to convey information.
“We use a lot of different ways, whether it’s social media, mainstream media, information sessions in person or online,” he said. “One of the things as far as information goes is what is a fitness requirement in training and for on the job.”
Run with a Recruiter provides a practical way to connect with individuals who are looking for career information and who might have questions about physical training.
“I can tell you to do this, that and the other thing, but without actually experiencing the physical aspect of it, you’re going to miss out potentially,” he said.
“So not only am I informing you about the fitness requirements, but we’re actually doing it. If there’s something that comes up as far as lacking information, we are physically here and we can do it together and make sure that folks are informed accurately for the job. We don’t want people to not apply because of fear of maybe I’m not fit enough.”
The informal format of the event may help to put participants at ease and to focus on the questions they may have on joining the RCMP.
“We’re not in uniform and sometimes there’s this mental thing that can happen in some folks where they see a police uniform and they may be hesitant for some reason or another,” he said. “So I want to be able to answer those questions in that informal setting where I’m not in uniform and they feel hopefully more free to ask whatever they need to.”
Watkins has been an RCMP officer since April 2015 and he has been in the Proactive Recruiting Unit for just over a year.
“This is something that I wanted to use for recruiting purposes,” he said. “Running and fitness is important in the RCMP, of course, and we wanted to give folks accurate information as to what to expect at training and then, of course, on the job. So it’s still relatively in its infancy as far as an event goes.”
He noted that the RCMP is no different than other organizations in various economic sectors experiencing recruitment challenges.
“We have the baby boomers who are retiring and we need to backfill that, but on top of that, there are things like population growth just happening,” he said. “So not only do we need to refill some of the vacancies, but we need to increase the staffing levels to meet the populace.”
He added that what people might see on social media or through other media platforms can influence their perceptions about policing as a career.
“So they’re hesitant to apply, because they’re not sure that they want to take on that sort of role or responsibility,” he said. “We are being creative in trying to open up avenues that folks can, in an informal setting, maybe clear up some of what they see on social media versus what this person who is actually doing it is saying.”
His message to people, regardless of whether they decide to join the RCMP or not, is to do what sets their heart on fire.
“The information that I can provide from my position is that there’s a lot of avenues that you can go down as far as opportunities in the RCMP,” he said. “I would say that the opportunities found in the RCMP can bring a lot of fulfillment to a lot of different people and not just frontline policing, but behind the scenes, civilian roles, and so on.”
He mentioned to Run with a Recruiter attendees that anyone joining the RCMP will never be alone, because there will be a team of people who will walk with them through the process.
“We want to be there to walk with folks so that they’re clear on what’s needed,” he said. “You’re never alone in training. When you get to the academy, you’re not alone. You have 31 other people that you rely on. And that’s a theme throughout the RCMP, because when you’re in the field, you’re not alone. You have backup.”
Const. Read can provide a perspective as a recent graduate when she speaks to anyone with questions about joining the RCMP.
“Certainly, I would agree you’re not alone, but as you consider if the RCMP may be for you, the process itself is unique,” she said. “The application process can be lengthy or it can be short. My process itself took eight months, but others took longer.”
She added that it is also important for anyone starting training to prepare themselves mentally for the path ahead.
“You need to find what works for you and you’re going to really need to build on that, because you’re going to face a lot of challenges at depot and you need the ability to be able to mentally break through them,” she said. “Physically, you’ll be able to do it, but it’s mentally you have to push yourself through.”
According to Watkins the Run with a Recruiter event will most likely be hosted again in Swift Current in the future as well as in a few other communities in the province.
“There are folks from all parts of the province who may not be able to get to Regina,” he said. “So let’s bring Regina to them. And then I think it’s important to tag up with a local officer. So that way, when I go back home to Regina, there’s still someone here that they can connect with.”