REGINA – The RCMP is changing how it recruits new members after being told that the process was “too long, inflexible and outdated.”
One of the changes will allow people with permanent resident status, who have lived in Canada for the last 10 years, to apply.
Physical abilities will no longer be tested as part of the application process and that evaluation will now be assessed at the RCMP training academy in Regina.
Under the new rules, applicants from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba will also be able to select their home province for their first post after graduation.
The force says in a news release that the move will help it stay competitive and build a diverse workforce, but also that standards won’t be compromised.
The RCMP said it will not do interviews on the changes.
“We will not be providing any interviews on the modernization of the recruitment process,” Annie Delisle, media relations officer for the RCMP, said in an email to The Canadian Press.
“We invite you to submit questions in writing if you need any details from the news release.”
A current member of the RCMP told Global News the changes are because of low application numbers and fewer people are interested in law enforcement careers.
With files from Krista Sharpe