It’s an opportunity of a lifetime, as dozens of high school students from across Canada get a lesson in RCMP training in the hopes of one day earning their Red Serge.
Jacob Kelk is a Grade 12 student from Ottawa. He was one-of-31 students selected for the National Youth Engagement Week at the RCMP Academy Depot Division in Regina. The week-long program gives aspiring Mounties a glimpse into the life of a cadet.
Kelk says his passion for law enforcement grew from his devotion to his community.
Aside from training in drills, driving, fitness and firearms, students are taking their learning inside the classroom. The focus for Wednesday’s lesson: forensics identification.
The week also gives students a chance to bond with cadets currently in the RCMP Academy, helping them pick up on key aspects of the job.
“I’ve learned communication and discipline are two really big parts of policing,” Kelk said. “At the end of the day, you’re coming to a crime scene and people are looking at you for answers.”
Cpl. Denis Simard, a supervisor for this week’s program, says it takes a special kind of person to become a Mountie.
The program is in its third year and Simard says each time it draws more and more promising candidates. Plans are in the works to offer the training sessions twice a year, instead of only once, after they had to turn down nearly 3,000 applicants.