Edmonton police are pushing hard to fill their recruiting quotas for the year as they compete against a lucrative private job market.
With more money coming from federal and provincial levels, the police are offering signing bonuses for recruits and moving allowances for out-of-town residents.
“It’s been very tough,” in the last few years, said Staff Sgt. Adrian Marr. “We have to be very competitive in competing against the private sector.”
Another change the recruiting team has seen is a move to provincial standards for physical fitness training.
However one recruit was disappointed by the change, saying that while he was excited at the prospect of becoming a police officer, he thinks it makes it easier to be accepted.
“I’ve been training for a year to do the original stuff. When they told me they were lowering the requirements, I was disappointed,” said Matt Leblanc. “The EPS is the hardest force to get into; there is some prestige to getting in.”
