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For over a decade, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have been looking at ways to increase recruiting.
With graduates of the “Mountie” training facility often not keeping up with normal attrition, the situation is worsening as a large number of members are nearing retirement.
RCI: May 2016: RCMP relaxes some entrance requirements
This is exacerbated by the need to encourage more women and visible minorities to join in order to represent Canada’s changing demographic.
Media coverage of allegations of sexual harassment and bullying within the force have not helped the image of the force as an interesting career pursuit. Other questions about the long training programme of over a year at the Saskatchewan training facility and claims of low pay have also not helped.
The number of graduates of the RCMP training programme has not been keeping pace with regular attrition from the force., leaving the force short staffed in many locations (CBC)
The mounties are now involved in an extensive examination of both entrance and training requirements to see if any are “outdated” or really necessary in today’s environment.
Questions about training time, hearing and vision tests, along with memory, logic, judgement and comprehension testing are all being examined along with other aspects of the screening, entrance exam and requirements for potential recruits.
Some have suggested some of the possible changes could amount to lowering the standards although the force insists security is always paramount.
Christian Leuprecht, a Royal Military College professor who has also written about the RCMP structure is quoted by the CBC saying they should avoid a potential “race to the bottom” and instead bring in top minds to deal with issues of cybercrime, well organized domestic and international gang activity, and terrorist threat.
He says, “This needs to be the force that shows the greatest professionalism, the greatest competence”.
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