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Calgary seeks British police officers
A shortage of police officers in Calgary, Alberta, has encouraged the force to look to British shores to fill their vacancies
No sooner do we run an article highlighting the need for Canada to attract overseas police officers into its force that it is announced that the Calgary Police Service (CPS) will be visiting these very shores in order to entice British officers across the Atlantic.
The CPS is currently finalising details for a recruitment drive in London and Scotland this autumn as it attempts to add an extra 200 officers to its force by the end of 2007. In an attempt to drive up the number of Canadians joining the force the CPS has been running a nationwide billboard campaign to attract more newcomers into the force.
But a fairly disappointing response has led the recruiting department to change tack. "Up until now, we haven't aggressively marketed ourselves outside of Canada, but now we've taken the next step," said Staff Sergeant Michael Watterston. "We're planning a trip to the UK in October, when a recruitment team will be sent to London."
The CPS hopes to attract enough officers – both from Britain and Canada – to fill eight, 24-rookie police classes over the next year-and-a-half. Watterston has also announced that by the time of the recruiting drive the CPS hopes to have an agreement in place to recognise seniority and match their past pay and holiday structures.
Watterston told Emigrate Canada in June that there are 39 British officers currently working in the Calgary force, all of who have adapted well to their new challenges.
For further information:
Calgary Police Service
Read other articles about Calgary:
Calgary: A city of opportunity
Avoid the Calgary stampede
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