Loose terrain, log roads, high-angle turns and even a plunge into a submerged road. These are just some of the obstacles RCMP cadets face at depot division’s 4×4 training course.
The course is meant to replicate rural conditions that can be found across Canada, and is part of the RCMP Academy’s driving program.
As the national police agency, RCMP cadets come to Regina from all parts of Canada. This means some have little to no experience driving a 4×4 truck, let alone driving on grid roads.
“Basically, the cadets come into training with varying degrees of experience operating these vehicles; some with little to no experience operating a four-wheel-drive vehicle,” Staff Sgt. Dwayne Bauer said.
The track was opened in February 2018. Before that, Sgt. Stephane Langlois said they used to take cadets out on the back roads between Regina and Lumsden for this kind of training.
If the officers can’t safely navigate a wide variety of terrain, their ability to do their job may be compromised, making this track a valuable police asset.
“There was obviously a need as our communities in Canada expanded in size. Our demand to attend those calls increased and then obviously our training had to be responsive to that demand and we did that by creating this track,” Langlois said.
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The track includes 18 stations. Some have uneven terrain, forcing cadets to learn to use their special awareness to not bottom out the trucks. Others involve driving through loose gravel, forcing cadets to maneuver their wheels so the truck doesn’t get stuck.
Before cadets take the wheel and navigate the track themselves, an RCMP facilitator will drive them through and explain techniques to effectively navigate the course.
“It helps the cadets understand the capabilities of the vehicles, the four-wheel drive vehicles,” Staff Sgt. Dwayne Bauer said.
“It also helps them understand the limitations of those vehicles, but more importantly it helps them understand their own capabilities in terms of operating the vehicles and that’s very important what it comes to safety.”
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