Key takeaways:
- ‘Those part-time summer people are simply not available.’
- ‘I want to ensure the public and our residents … our core policing services, there are no worries that we’re not going to be able to provide that level of service,’ says Charlottetown Police Chief Brad MacConnell.
Charlottetown Police Services says, as police forces across Canada, it is working to see officers fill summer jobs, and that means it will require to change how it works to let officers take time off.
In history, anywhere from eight to 20 officers would be compelled to fill temporary summer jobs; however, this year, the applications aren’t coming in for summer backfill positions, stated Charlottetown Police Chief Brad MacConnell.
“Things have changed, and those bodies and policemen are not there as in the past,” he stated.
MacConnell said summer backfill is also a fantastic way to assess potential new officers who would be applying for their force.
“Unfortunately, it’s grown to the point where those part-time summer people are unavailable,” he stated.
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“I don’t think we can look at how we come our summers, in the same way, moving on — we’re going to have to reconsider that, strategically.”
Fewer recruits available
MacConnell said one aspect is that police academy across Canada are seeing a drop in enrolment. And with fewer police academy graduates, new officers have their pick of options across Canada.
Enrolment at the Atlantic Police Academy has fallen steadily for the previous several years.
Officials with Holland College weren’t available to comment, but according to the school’s yearly reports, in 2013, the academy had 126 registered cadets, and in 2020, just 34 enrolled.
MacConnell feels diminished interest in policing and public safety could also result from negative impressions of the police in the media and a tremendous variety of job prospects available for young people.
Source – cbc.ca
