Regina police launch new program to hire more female officers

Expect to see more women within the Regina Police Service (RPS) now that the law enforcement agency is taking part in a 30×30 Initiative.

The North American program aims to have the percentage of women sworn into police positions be at 30 per cent by the year 2030.

RPS is one of 176 policing organizations taking the pledge, hoping to empower diverse change.

“Research out of the U.S. also shows that female officers typically use less force, having fewer public complaints and lawsuits and typically have better outcomes for victims of crime,” said Lorilee Davies, Regina Police deputy chief of operations on Monday afternoon as the new program was unveiled.

According to the police force, RPS is only the second force in Canada to join the program.

Currently, female officers only make up 24.8 per cent of the police force in the city – 102 out of 418 officers are women.

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Davies said RPS will need to hire 59 additional officers in order to hit their target by 2030.

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Along with the program launch, a website was launched to help with hiring, but officers will be going beyond the online world to get the word out.

“Career fairs, visiting schools, and it’s not just the work of our (human resources) team, we empower all of our members to go out there everyday and make those connections and engagements,” Davies explained.

“So, the Community Engagement Unit, our Cultural and Diversity Unit are out there speaking with diverse communities, young girls, with any potential applicant really, just to create that relationship,” she added.

Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said RPS wants to be reflective of “our community,” so that people who live in the community can look at the police service and see themselves within that service.

“The other part of that is being an environment that is inclusive, when people do get hired they need to find this an inclusive place, a safe place, a supportive organization,” Bray stated.

There’s a wide range of roles that can be filled varying from officers who work in the investigative department, to patrol officers, to those placed in school programs, and even senior leadership roles.

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Davies said the program is a chance for women to break even more barriers.

“Traditionally it has been that sort of male dominated profession and so I think we just need to do a better job of showcasing that women in our community are … that we want them 100 per cent within our service,” Davies said.

She added the best part about this effort is the opportunity for women to be the change they want to see in their community.