Riding with the Calgary Police Service..

March 28th, 2008 to April 10th, 2008
Punjabi Patrika
Calgary Police Service – You Already Have What It Takes

Looking for a rewarding career that has
endless opportunities? If you are heading
to the Canadian Rockies anytime soon,
you could "Already Have What It Takes"
to join the Calgary Police Service (CPS).
The Service is planning to hire
approximately 225 recruits this year and
500 over the next two years. To put it
simply, the CPS starts training a new class
of recruits approximately every eight
weeks.
Calgary is an appealing city to live in. It
was voted one of the best cities in North
America. With a diverse, vibrant
population of more than a million citizens
and an economy second to none, there is
no end to the growth in sight. Calgary
has become a destination of choice for
Canadians looking for employment
opportunities. They are flocking to Alberta
and finding incredible success. Just an
hour’s drive from Banff, Calgary has
many flavors that showcase the Canadian
spirit. What are a few extra months of
winter in the prairies? With job postings
in every corner of the city and the world
famous Calgary Stampede, which attracts
tourist from around the globe each
summer, there is no destination like it.
The CPS is one of the top law
enforcement agencies in North America
and has more than 1600 members. To
keep up with the demands of attrition and
growth, the Calgary Police Service is
continuously hiring. The CPS has a strong
reputation as a first-class employer and
is leading the way with many initiatives.
The Service has attracted the attention of
various police agencies in North America,
most recently for its innovative recruiting
and marketing strategies. The CPS has
one of the best tactical teams in North
America, an internationally renowned antigang
strategy, an award winning, anti-hate
project called "Hate Don’t Buy In" and
many integrated partnerships with other
police services. The Calgary Police
Service is a leader with its advanced
equipment and training. It was the first
municipal service in Canada to have air
support and it has two police helicopters
that support police officers from above.
The CPS is committed to community
partnerships and puts special emphasis on
building relationships with the city’s
various diverse communities. Calgary
police officers often receive compliments
from the community and citizen surveys
show that the public takes great pride in
the city’s finest.
With enormous success in past recruiting
drives in British Columbia, Staff Sgt.
Michael Watterston who heads the
Recruiting Unit is requesting applicants
who are interested in a policing career to
consider applying with the CPS. With
many law enforcement agencies in the
hiring mode across the country, it’s an
applicants market for the foreseeable
future, specifically in Calgary. According
to Watterston the demand is there, but the
pool of applicants has been decreasing in
recent years making it difficult at times
to choose the best recruit.
"We were not marketing ourselves
effectively and applicants were not
applying and classes were not getting filled
until the very last minute. This was
becoming a serious issue for us in the
Recruiting Unit," he said.
For example, in 2005 the CPS only
received 382 applications and hired 120
of those applicants. The CPS came up
with a new recruiting and advertising
strategy that launched in December of
2007. It featured police officers who
came to the Service from other
professions, including a lab technician,
waitress and carpenter. The campaign
showed that "You Have Already What It
Takes" to join the Calgary Police Service,
dispelling myths and stereotypes that a
background in policing or an college or
university education was required to join
The strategy expanded the search for
police recruits who were already
employed in various careers and others
who may have considered a policing
career when they were younger and didn’t
get the opportunity. According to
Watterston, those people now have the
opportunity and the skills that it takes to
become good police officers.
"We are looking at 19 and 20-year-olds
again and we accept some responsibilities
in maturing these recruits".
Five stories are exclusively profiled on the
CPS recruiting website giving applicants
an insight into how some CPS members
have changed their careers ranging from
Juno a lab technician to Ian a carpenter
worker who are both part of the CPS
team. CPS also wanted to speed up the
applicant process to get recruits hired as
quickly as possible. Watterston said, " on
average for locals we would like to speed
it up to a month and three months for out
of town residents, considering they are
successful at all stages of the process,
creating a win-win situation for us and
the applicant".
When it comes to talking about diversity
the CPS is second to none. The CPS has
been reaching out to candidates who have
been police officers in other provinces and
countries and who expressed interest in
working with the Service. The CPS
recently launched an English as a Second
Language (ESL) program that helps
people interested in becoming Calgary
police officers brush up their language
skills so they are more prepared to
compete in the application process. The
first of its kind in Canada, the CPS ESL
program offers two nights of classes a
week free of charge.
"Diversity is a key component of the CPS
and I encourage all qualified candidates
to apply with us," said Watterston. "The
Calgary Police Service is committed to
hiring people who reflect the cultural
make-up of the city."
There are many members from British
Columbia working with the CPS and they
are looking to hire many more in the near
future. With several quick flights from
Vancouver and Abbotsford International
Airport (YXX) you are over the Rockies
and in Calgary in no time. To be part of
this exciting team and for more
information visit www.calgarypolice.ca/
recruiting or call the CPS toll free line at
1-866-CPS-HIRE.
Continued from page 8
KenHerar@gmail.com