b'Photo credit: Chris Culham, Ontario Police College.Whateveryonecanagreeonis that recruitment practices for police officers in Ontario are critical because they shape the future of law enforce-ment and the relationship between policeandthecommunitiesthey serve. Among the factors that need to be considered are:The Changing Role of PoliceCommunity-centric Policing:Community Policing was intro-duced in the 1980s and taughtin this province in the 1990s. Today, Ontario has seen a shift towards policing that emphasizescollaboration with the community rather than simply enforcing the applications,particularlyaftertheasclerks,communicationsstaff,law. Recruitment practices need COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 2023,managers and other professionals into prioritize candidates who therewere71,472policeofficersroles focusing on administrative sup- understand this changing roleacrossallCanadianpoliceservices,port,operationalcommunications,and are motivated by a892morethanonthesamedateinformationtechnologyservices,service-oriented mindset.in2022.DespitethisincreaseinreceptionservicesandvehicleandDe-escalation Skills:police strength in 2023, the rate offacilityservices.AsidefromswornDe-escalation has slowly but police strength in Canada continuedofficers, in 2023, civilians accountedsteadily become the priority for thedownwardtrendthatstartedfor most of the overall growth of allfrontline police professionals. more than 10 years earlier. This wasemployees, increasing 1,316 from theThey are increasingly being called largelyattributabletotheincreaseprevious year. Thisgrowthoccurredupon to deal with crises that of the Canadian population in 2023,alongside an increase of 185 specialrequire de-escalation rather than when the growth of the populationconstables.Bycontrast,therewereforce. Hiring officers who are outpacedthatofthenumberof55fewerrecruitsthanin2022.Intrained, or have the potential to police officers.2023,womenrepresented69perbe trained, in conflict resolution is Therateofpolicestrength(thecentofcivilianpersonnelwithincritical. Critical thinking for officers numberthatmeasuresthenumberpolice services, 35 per cent of specialmeans they will accurately assess of police officers per 100,000 popula- constables and 22 per cent of recruitsa given situation and use the best tion, considering the overall Canadian(Statistics Canada). resolution option, preferably by population)was178officersperSo,whyarethesenumbersde-escalation of a situation.100,000population,downalmostdwindling? Is policing no longer a pro- Community Trust and Diversitytwopercentfrom2022andthefession of choice for new employees?lowestratesince1970.Provincially,CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS Representation: Ontario isapplications dropped by 31 per centone of the most multicultural between 2021 and 2022. This includedInApril2023,theGovernmentofjurisdictions in North America, analarming49-per-centdeclineinOntario made two significant changesparticularly in areas like the female applicants. Compounding thisin the hopes of drawing more peopleGreater Toronto Area, the Golden challenge(likelyinfluencedbytheto a career in law enforcement. First,Horseshoe, Ottawa, Windsor, COVID-19 pandemic among other fac- theBasicConstableTrainingtuitionLondon and Waterloo Region. Its tors), many officers retire early, withfeesattheOntarioPoliceCollegeimportant that police services 60 per cent of retirements occurringwere removed. Secondly, the require- reflect the cultural and racial within the first 10 years of service.mentforpost-secondaryeducationdiversity of the communities they Put simply, recruitment cannot keepwas also eliminated. While the latterserve, as well as representation pace with this attrition. move has drawn different responsesof females and individuals both within policing and in society,who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+. Furthermore,policeservicesarebothmovesweremadetomakeRecruitment strategies need to increasingly composed of non-swornpolicing more accessible to a widerprioritize diversity to build trust, police professional employees, suchrange of the greater population. enhance cultural competency and 8 H.Q. Winter 2024/2025'