In 2016, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) hired the first Somali-Canadian female officer, Constable Amal Abdi. On November 23, 2018, at Edmonton City Hall, another Somali-Canadian takes command as he joined the graduating parade. Constable Abdirahman (Abe) Kulmiye is the first male Somali-Canadian EPS officer. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Constable Kulmiye was proud to join and be presented to the Somali community in Edmonton at the Somali Cultural Gala the following day.
A Trickle of Diversity in Police Recruits
Constable Kulmiye was joined by 28 other officers, including another minority, Constable Andrew NG, an officer born in Romania, and others born in different parts of the world in Recruit Training Class No. 142. The class was rich in skills, talents, experiences, and even boost of an officer with a PhD.
Behind the Scenes with Police Recruits
EPS has been progressive in recruiting minorities in the recent graduation ceremonies that I have covered for Diversity Magazine. What is not seen in the graduation is this part of the training that I have also been a part of, called Community Policing, an opportunity for EPS recruits to build understanding, compassion, and humanize police, and build relationship between the police and the community.
In these sessions, community members have conversations with small group of recruits, so they can practice communication, bias awareness, and cultural safety skills that they have learned. Soon-to-be officers learn more about the community that they are going to be serving. The discussions revolve around community members sharing their background with police recruits, so they can develop an improved understanding of the diverse communities in the City of Edmonton.
Community Likes What they See and Wants More
While the police have made some moves in diversifying, physically and in training, the wish from the community members I spoke to is to sustain the move and extend the training program to officers on the streets of Edmonton as well. With a new and diverse Police Commission, a new Police Chief, there is certainly excitement in the air. I will be writing more on this soon.
