“Troop One - Attention. Congratulations.”

Richmond

2022-02-24 11:07 PST

Troop One of the Richmond RCMP Youth Academy Graduates

A photo of the youth academy troop of students standing at attention.

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a police officer?

Thirty-two local high school students found out first-hand when they participated in the inaugural Richmond RCMP Youth Academy over the Family Day long weekend, February 17th to 21st.

Jointly coordinated by Richmond RCMP and the Richmond School District, this 5-day intensive program provided the ultimate work-experience opportunity for local youth considering a career in policing.

Officers from Richmond RCMP’s Community Engagement Team, Traffic Enforcement, Drugs and Criminal Intelligence Sections made presentations and answered questions relevant to their specialized operations. Members from the RCMP Dive Team, the Emergency Response Team, the Integrated Forensic Identification Services, the Integrated Police Dog Services and Air 1 were also invited to attend. Participants learned about CAPRA - the RCMP’s community policing problem-solving model - and gained a basic understanding of legal concepts such as the elements of an offence, and the authorities for arrest, search and seizure. They also engaged in practical police-related scenarios.

This was an opportunity of a lifetime, says Superintendent Julie Drotar, the acting Officer in Charge of Richmond RCMP. Not only did this experience help some of our local young people decide whether or not to pursue a career in policing, it also provided them with an opportunity to learn many important transferable life-skills such as teamwork, public speaking, physical fitness, self-reliance and discipline, says Supt. Drotar.

A photo of some students gathered around an RCMP constable A photo of students preparing police belts for duty.

Those who participated underwent a selection process, which included a physical activity test, an interview, a criminal background check and reference checks.

The Richmond RCMP Youth Academy is open to all students in grades 10 to 12 who may be interested in learning more about a career in policing. Applications for next year’s Youth Academy will be available in mid-November. Interested students can contact their high school Career Counsellor or Career Information Adviser for more information.

Congratulations Troop 1!

We look forward to seeing Troop 2 in February of 2023.

A photo of a student arresting a suspect