Winnipeg police service working to recruit next round of Cadets

You’ve seen them with the blue uniforms, directing traffic or guarding a crime scene but what does it take to be a Winnipeg Police Service Cadet?

Right now the Winnipeg police are working on recruiting the next class of Cadets for the fall, but as Global News has learned, they may also be recruiting the next round of police officers.

More and more Cadets have gone on to become police officers in Winnipeg.

Between 2012 and 2015, the percentage of Cadets hired on as Constables averaged out to approximately 15 per cent, but that number has steadily increased each year since.

In 2016, Cadets made up 20 per cent of the next police Constable class. In 2017, that grew to 30 per cent. The current police recruit class is 45 per cent Cadets.

Sgt. John Siderius is in charge of the Cadet program. He said it’s a great stepping stone for people who want to work for the Winnipeg police.

“It’s extremely helpful and I think it goes both ways. We get a chance to take a look at a person and how they work and what their interests are, also they get an inside look of the police department,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's extremely helpful and I think it goes both ways. We get a chance to take a look at a person and how they work and what their interests are, also they get an inside look of the police department," he said.

Siderios said this style of Cadet program started in Winnipeg.

“Other agencies have been contacting us just to get the idea about ‘how does this work’ and maybe they can implement some of the ideas in their services.”

Ryan Whitney became a Cadet one year ago. Next week he starts his training as a 9-1-1 operator. His ultimate goal is to become a police officer.

“Within a couple weeks of field training, you’re going to know if it’s a career for you,” he said. “You get such an eye opener for what the job is and what it entails.”

Cadets often get confused for police officers, but they don’t have the same training or authority and the only weapons on their belts are pepper spray and a baton.

A lot of their job includes traffic control, but they often walk around the city and participate in community engagement events.

Most of the cadets are 23 to 26 years old, since it’s more of an entry-level law peace officer position.

The next round of Cadets will start their class in the fall and Winnipeg police are looking for diversity to reflect the population of Winnipeg.

Lexi William is one of a handful of women in the Cadet program. She said she’s hopeful more women will consider a career in law enforcement.

“It’s been my dream since I was young and so I would love for more females to join the service or policing as a whole, it’s a great career,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's been my dream since I was young and so I would love for more females to join the service or policing as a whole, it's a great career," she said.

William is also moving on next week to become a 9-1-1 Operator with a final goal of becoming a police officer.

“Even going forward as an actual police officer, this experience is incredible for the job or the service as a whole. You get to learn how the communication centre works and when calls come in, how they deal with them and dispatch people,” she said.

More information on the WPS Cadet program is available here.