Cobourg Police hope to make waves with students interested in a career in policing.
On Thursday, officers welcomed 60 students from the Youth in Policing Initiative (YIPI) — an employment program for youth ages 15 to 18 to help them develop job skills while enhancing police and community relations.
Cobourg police took the students from Peel Region, Kingston and Gananoque police services for a tour of the town and even sailed with the members of the Cobourg Yacht Club.
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“Most of these kids have never been on a boat before,” said Cobourg Police Service Const. Nicholas Moeller.
YIPI is designed for youth with leadership potential and is part of a program created by Ontario’s Ministry of Children and Youth Services to provide up to eight weeks of summer employment.
“I’m not sure if I want to become a police officer but I’m learning a lot about leadership,” said Daniel Akinremi, a student from Peel.
Kingston’s Caitylyn Grundy added: “I think it’s great to be able to serve the community and just make it a greater place.”
It’s the fourth year the Cobourg Police Service has been involved with YIPI. It was launched by police chief Kai Liu who came to Cobourg from Gananoque.
Graduation from the program is next Wednesday.