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For nearly 140 years, the RCMP Depot in Regina Sask. has been training the next generation of officers.
In 2023 however, some are calling for major systematic changes to RCMP training.
“The future of the RCMP and of provincial policing requires focused re-evaluation.”
Read more: ‘There were failures’: N.S. shooting inquiry report slams RCMP response to 2020 tragedy
Over the course of 13 hours on April 18-19, 2020, a gunman killed 22 people, including a pregnant woman, across three Nova Scotia counties. He was at times dressed like a Mountie and driving a replica RCMP vehicle.
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It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern Canadian history.
“We need to rethink the role of the police in a wider ecosystem of public safety,” the report read.
The recommendations include heavy changes to RCMP training, which traditionally takes place at the depot in Regina.
Anyone hoping to become an RCMP officer in Canada, must go through training at the depot in Regina.
But according to the new MCC report, that could soon change, with the commission recommending:
The recommendations would phase out the depot, and instead implement a degree-based system that could be done across the country, rather than only in Regina.
Read more: A look at the 22 Nova Scotians killed in Canada’s worst mass shooting
For Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, on Thursday morning he said he hasn’t had a chance to go in depth on the recommendations, but his first instinct is that the province is short of officers.
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“We need more officers to actually go through the depot and provide that service and safety for Saskatchewan and Canadians,” Moe said.
“To put in place more requirements for those people to enter into the training program, likely doesn’t help us with providing more officers into our communities,” he explained.
“We have been a very strong supporter of the depot here but also the RCMP in general and adding officers into our communities across the province,” Moe said. “The RCMP model and the recruits and the people in our communities have served us well. Our goal is to increase police resources and human resources.”
More info to come…
