The Recruit Selection Unit is mandated to strive to hire based on the demographics of Edmonton. Our historical recruitment process required applicants to self-identify, develop background skills independently and self-assess readiness and suitability. For over thirty years RSU has not changed our approach in the method we recruit. As a result, we have not been able to hire and match the drastically shifting demographics within our community.
While many hired officers have been influenced or mentored by family members who know about a career in policing, most individuals in underrepresented communities do not have the same network to guide and mentor them in a similar fashion. Past EPS approaches to recruit and mentor from underrepresented communities have been expensive, labour-intensive and limited in success. The EPS needed to find a better way to recruit from underrepresented groups and establish a process to develop applicants who have strong potential.
To help achieve this objective we piloted the “RSU Mentoring Academy”. The main objective of the Academy has been to identify promising applicants from underrepresented communities and expose them to sessions-related to the application process. Another objective has been to introduce the EPS culture to promising applicants in a controlled environment prior to Recruit Training Unit. We plan to actively shape the caliber and quality of the pool of applicants from underrepresented communities and expand the current recruiting practices.
With this new tool, we plan to close the gap between the EPS and the underrepresented communities we serve using the cost-effective Academy as a method of achieving our mandate. The Mentoring Academy is a 12-week program which operates once a week for three hours, exposing the applicants to a variety of sessions related to the application process, as well as what a career with the EPS would look like.
By increasing our underrepresented applicant we are hoping to increase our commitment to a more diverse membership within the Edmonton Police Service and strengthen our community relations. This is the future of how the Edmonton Police Service will recruit and support applicants from underrepresented communities. Below is the link to a CBC article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-police-mentorship-academy-1.4175177
