Van cops recruiting in Okanagan

Kelly Hayes - CASTANET Aug 7, 2008
Vancouver Police admit they're moving into RCMP territory but say they don't have a choice. The force is sending a full contingent to the Okanagan this weekend in an attempt to find potential recruits. "We know we're going into other police jurisdictions, but it's a sign of the times," says Sergeant Howard Chow. The recruitment campaign has been dubbed Operation Search and Employ and Chow says its first stop will be Penticton. "I'm bringing a fairly significant team. We're bringing out our motorcycle drill team which will be in this weekend's parade in Penticton on Saturday. We'll also have our ceremonial marching team, a police dog and our 40-foot mobile recruiting office which is the first of its kind in Canada. After that, we're heading off to Vernon where we'll be holding a recruitment presentation on Monday at the Prestige Inn." Sergeant Chow says Vancouver Police have had to begin thinking outside the box because the applications are simply not coming in. "Last year, we only had 300 applications. We're at a crossroads now. In the past, we would put an ad in the newspaper and we would get thousands of applications but that has changed. With the economy at its highest and the unemployment rate at its lowest, people have more choices." Chow says they've also focused their attention to the Internet as a recruiting tool. "The ways of doing things in the past simply aren't working. We're even using Facebook and YouTube which is a first for a major police department in Canada." The Vancouver Police Force has 1300 police officers.