Timmins police officials say recruitment is a top priority
Timmins Police Chief Dan Foy, who was sworn in at the end of February, says one of the challenges he's working to resolve regards recruitment.
“We need to go out, do some outreach and recruit people in order to build the service and to make sure we have the right amount of resources and people to protect the public," said Foy.
He said the service is in need of seven officers, about half a platoon. He said modernizing some aspects of the job might help attract more people.
“Look at mobile work stations, look at body cams," Foy said.
"We are working as a team assessing what we can do to bring those tools to our services and that’s a priority over the next 12 months."
Marc Depatie, the police communications coordinator, is also a police foundations instructor at Northern College. He said enrollment in the program is robust, but said graduates are showing little interest.
“We’re at a point where we absolutely have to find out what is preventing people from applying to the police service," Depatie said.
"It has lost its lustre, it appears. There used to be a huge number of applicants for any one opening."
Police officials said they're also doing an internal check to find out how they can improve their recurring efforts, including eliminating any possible barriers during the application process.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.