Sep 09
16

Budget Cuts

34 Comments

There has been a flurry of activity on the political front in the last few days with the HST, Olympic funding, medical funding cuts and additional budget cuts, including cuts the RCMP are facing.

The result is a number of new recruits will NOT be going through Depot.

————

I work the front lines.   I see what happens when there are a lack of resources.

————

I have many RCMP friends. They are good people.  Great people.  They give everything they have to upholding the oath all of us wearing a law enforcement badge have sworn to.  They are people just like you and me – they believe in justice, honour, integrity, team.

The RCMP cannot afford to have their budget slashed.  The men and women of the Red Serge deserve better.  They need reinforcements.  Additional officers.  Additional resources.

Tags: , ,

This entry was posted on September 16, 2009 at 7:00 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in This Week in Policing by Sandra 34 Comments

34 Responses to "Budget Cuts"

  • Anonymous says:
    September 16, 2009 at 12:02 pm

    What does this mean, since I’m in the selection process. Going to do the polygraph soon. The recruiter told me I should leave in March or April of 2010 if I’m successful with the rest of the process. Does this mean I won’t be leaving for Depot since the budget cut? Answers please!

  • Jason says:
    September 16, 2009 at 12:09 pm

    I’m in the selection process for the RCMP right now. I have my polygraph coming up soon. At the interview the interviewee told me if you are successful with the rest of the process, I should leave around March, April of 2010 for Depot. So, since the budget cut does this mean I may not go to Depot? Answers please! Also, are VPD hiriing actively right now. I’m from Montreal and am fluently bilingual, english and french! Do VPD like recruits out of province?

    Thank you for your time.
    Jason

  • Steve says:
    September 16, 2009 at 12:41 pm

    I heard that the RCMP cancelled 8 ‘Troops’ of cadets going through Depot. I know applicants who were told months ago they won’t hear anything from the agency before January (new fiscal year for the government perhaps?).

    Seems to be hitting everyone. CBSA has also frozen recruiting. Hopefully one day the government will see that when you freeze hiring for even a short period of time, it creates long term problems that end up costing all of us a lot more money, programs and overall safety in the long run.

  • Anonymous says:
    September 16, 2009 at 3:22 pm

    I’m in the back end of the process (Background, Final Medical) My co-ordinator told me they cancelled 10 troops, including the ones I was going to get loaded on. Now it looks like December or January.

    I wrote my RPAT in the middle of October 08, so this whole 6 month thing(which my recruiter told me too), is just not possible right now.

    From what I’ve been told/gathered, the cuts don’t mean you won’t go, just that if you’re selected, you’re going later. If you’re not that far yet, get to like your current job, because it could be awhile.

  • David Bratzer says:
    September 18, 2009 at 1:19 am

    First of all, I enjoy your blog very much, particularly as there are not a lot of K9 blogs out there. However, with this post, I feel like you stated a problem but didn’t offer any solutions.

    The government is broke. It’s not enough to say, “give the RCMP more money.” The money has to come from somewhere. In some areas almost a third of the municipal tax base goes toward law enforcement and this is not sustainable in the long term.

    Here are three suggestions that might financially stabilize the Royal Canadian Mounted Police:

    1) Tax revenue from a legal and regulated marijuana industry.

    2) RCMP support for the decriminalization of all drugs – perhaps similar to Portugal – which would surely reduce overtime and free up all kinds of resources.

    3) A gradual RCMP withdrawal from urban policing, particularly in towns and cities with more than 5,000 residents. In British Columbia this could be accomplished by amalgamating municipalities within the Greater Vancouver and the Greater Victoria areas.

    I should emphasize these are my own opinions and they certainly don’t represent those of my employer.

  • Steve says:
    September 18, 2009 at 10:46 am

    David,

    Your suggestion is no different than saying “people like to drive fast, having police officers enforcing traffic laws costs time and money, so let’s eliminate traffic cops.” Just because something costs money and drains resources doesn’t mean you can simply throw in the towel and stop fighting. Many of us see the effects drugs have on people on a daily basis, to simply decriminalize a problem is not the solution at all.

    Marijuana is still illegal, and there will always be an extreme underground eliminate to the production and distribution of it even if it were to be decriminalized. Tobacco ciagarettes are legal and taxed… tobacco smuggling both domestically and internationally is a billion dollar industry. While the government would make some added cash off of the taxation, they would still need to spend money and assign resources to combat the unlawful aspects of the drug scene.

    I do agree that the RCMP needs to go back to doing what they do best; small town policing. They don’t belong in major cities in my opinion as this is not the type of policing model they teach in Depot. Clearly many big cities are no longer satisfied with the service they receive from the RCMP, specifically Richmond, Surrey and Burnaby. Richmond city council recently spent somewhere in the neighbourhood of $120,000 to complete a review of the RCMP and decide if they should launch their own Municipal Police Service.

    In my personal opinion, the best way for law enforcement agencies to come up with the cash needed to get the job done, government needs to enact tougher proceeds of crime laws to stop gangs and organized crime from profiting from their activities. It should be easier for the police to take away cars, boats, houses and anything else of value used by criminals in the commission of an offence. These items then become the property of law enforcement to be used or auctioned off as needed.

  • Chris says:
    September 18, 2009 at 3:45 pm

    Unfortunately, front line officers suffers the most…I have no doubt that being a mountie is a tougher job compare to what I am doing right now. I can’t ask for more when I have 30 people working on the same shift majority of the time in one division ONLY! And still, we are crying for people. So I don’t know how an RCMP fellow officer cope with your internal BS, politics…I wish all of you guys the best of luck!

  • DC says:
    September 18, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    Steve said: “to simply decriminalize a problem”

    I guess there are those of us who disagree that it’s a problem any more than alcohol, smoking or Denny’s for that matter. Although I believe in erring on the side of liberty rather than safety.

    Re: the article…we here in Ontario don’t see much of the RCMP I was actually surprised when I found out recently that most provinces don’t have their own provincial police force.

  • laniwurm says:
    September 18, 2009 at 8:31 pm

    Last I heard, Mounties were finally given the right to unionize. Maybe if the rank and file took advantage of that right, they could have some influence in improving the institution, which seems to be at its lowest point since the 1970s – no wonder funding’s getting cut. From what I understand, under-staffing is a common workplace grievance for front liners, especially in remote communities. In any case, unionization seems to have worked for the VPD.

  • fanonymous says:
    September 19, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    I think the population would feel a lot safer if the VPD were willing to work with the RCMP instead of wishing them away.

  • Chris says:
    September 19, 2009 at 6:34 pm

    I am not impressed with these comments.
    What good does it do to have police forces and the public bickering at each other?
    We have the Olympics coming to Vancouver and I sure hope the groups involved will work together, not against each other.

  • Jon says:
    September 21, 2009 at 9:33 am

    A few things here;
    1. As David said above, I have a general problem when anyone complains about a problem or situation and doesn’t have any possible solutions to offer. Good solutions or not, doesn’t matter as long as they are trying to offer a solution. In this I am not saying the problem isn’t vaild or that they shouldn’t complain just that I’d like them to offer a possible solution as well.

    2. I also agree with legalizing Marijuana. This would drop the bottem out of a lot of gang problems. I agree that there will always be the illegal side(smuggling, production, etc…) but at least the govn’t would get a percentage of the revenu then. Other drugs should remain illegal however, their effects are more drastic and damaging. (I liken pot to alcohol in this, once in a while can be alright, when abused they are as bad a crack)

    I dont think that cutting the RCMP (or any police) budget is right and you need all the help you can get. As always Sandra, this is a great blog, keep up the good work and thank you.

  • MrJayJay says:
    September 21, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    Hi Folks,
    Some interesting comments and some that seemed like someone needed a place to vent.

    As the post was about “Budget Cuts” I think I will focus there. As some might know there is a rather large sporting event happening in Canada in 2010… Olympics… pretty nice size event. Apparently it gains world wide attention? :-) So there will be what I have been told about 7000 officers there to provide the 24/7 support. Now Vancouver Police have about 2000 members… So where do you think many of the officers are coming from? Yup RCMP – and why not give back to the boys and girls in red they deserve it with a once in a life time opportunity. As a business there are costs with this…

    a) you need to physically pay for the members to be there. Travel and all kinds of resources out of your force.
    b) the other that many don’t see right away is the liability. With leaner teams this comes with its consequences.

    So as a business they need to reassess as well work with the Fed Gov’t to match budgets going forward. While the olympics are going on they will need to pull members from all over. Where else to pull members than from Depot where you will have the greatest pool of some of the best trained members who won’t affect the amount of members on the street. So slowing things down during the Olympics is a great time to reassess. Also while you take the rest of the members from other postings who will be there when all these new recruits come out? You need training for these new members. So again the timing is right to slow down – catch your breath – get through potentially one of the largest events they have handled then… as a business if it goes well you negotiate…

    So does this timing show why it is a good idea for the slow down? Negotiations from both sides gov’t and RCMP will want to see how this big event goes before they talk $$$. Plus from a safety and logistics side you need to be prudent…

    There will always be a need for police. Keep the faith!!!

  • Sandra says:
    September 22, 2009 at 8:02 pm

    Hello everyone. My computer is up at the moment so I’ll take these few minutes to respond to your comments. Again, thanks for reading, and this post has had some of the best and more well thought out comments so far:

    – Anon #1 – You will have to clarify with the RCMP as to Depot status

    - Jason – I sent you an email, but in a nutshell for everyone else, yes, the VPD is always interested in applicants who are able to speak more than one language

    - Steve – I concur

    - Anon #2 – I think you’re right – you will end up waiting longer to go through Depot (or any police training) than you would have a year ago

    – David – yes, I did state a problem and did not offer a solution. Why? I simply don’t have one. The budget and the inner workings of our government are a bit like trying to understand a foreign language at best (to me, at least). But it is my strong opinion that certain things cannot afford any type of budget cut – one of those ‘things’ being public safety and law enforcement. That said, your point #3 makes good sense.

    – Steve – ‘proceeds of crime’ is a way many departments in the United States fund their programs, but I can see there being many issues if it were to become common practice here in Canada. It’s a good idea, but the wrinkles have to be ironed out…

    - Chris – well said

    – DC – safety and liberty will always be a balancing act.

    - laniworm – the RCMP to unionize? I’ll have to look into that!

    - Jon – good points. I wish I had the answer. Some of the suggestions made here in the comments section have been very good. As for the marijuana angle – I’m not going to go there at this point. And thanks for your kind words.

    - fanonymous – last I checked, we at the VPD have not been wishing the RCMP away. There a pro’s and con’s to each way of policing and together we balance out nicely. However, I feel change in the wind….

    - Chris – we ARE working together. The Olympics is at the forefront of media attention, but what the public doesn’t see on a regular basis are the front line officers and detectives crossing jurisdictional lines to work together. It matters not what colour the pant stripe is, only that we are all on the same team.

    - Mr. Jay Jay – you have done your homework! Great comment, thanks.

  • Lana says:
    September 27, 2009 at 7:21 am

    Hello,
    I have been waiting for my background check to begin since July 7, 2009, when my file was received in that department. I was told around that time that it should not take more than 4 months. On September 25, 2009 I was informed that I will not go through this calendar year for sure, and of course there are no guarantees that I will ever go through.
    I am a good candidate, I speak two languages besides English, and I have continued education in the field.
    I am worried about the future and my chances with the RCMP, and now I am advised by professors and police officer friends to apply to other organizations.
    I would like to ask for advice in my case. Should I apply elsewhere? Can it hurt my chances with the RCMP, as the background officers may find out that I am not as ‘loyal’ as they may hope, and not waist their resources on me?
    How long should I wait before deciding that I must apply elsewhere?
    Would it help or hurt my chances if I were to call the the background department in Ottawa and let them know that I am getting offers in other police departments?

    Thank you for the forum,
    Lana

  • Sandra says:
    September 27, 2009 at 7:50 am

    Lana – When I was going through the application process I applied to two other agencies in addition to the VPD. I don’t believed it hurt my chances and only showed the recruiters that I really wanted the job.

    If you apply elsewhere and get an offer from another agency, then yes, you should let the RCMP know.

    All police agencies across the country are looking for good, solid recruits, so keep your options open. It’s unfortunate for all people seeking to become law enforcement officers at this stage to have everything stalled as a result of the budget and the Olympics.

    But the Olympics are only a few months away, and the economy is looking up.

    Hang in there.

  • Lana says:
    September 27, 2009 at 8:38 am

    Thanks for the response Sandra,

    What about letting the RCMP know right now that I am planning to apply elsewhere? Can it help/hurt my chances?

    Should we expect hiring to pick up immediately after the Olympics?

  • Jason says:
    October 5, 2009 at 6:05 pm

    I’m curious Lana, what does this mean that you might never go through? Is that what the recruiter told you? Myself, I’m from Montreal and waiting for them to call me for my polygraph. I passed my interview at the beginning of the month of September and the interviewer told me if everything goes at a normal rate I should leave around March or April 2010. I figured that maybe it might take a little longer since the Olympics, but the RCMP are surely going to continue with your process since they want to hire close to 1800 officers every year for the next 5 years. Is it me or are people over exaggerating with the Olympics and the RCMP not going to hire anymore because of there budget! Answers and facts please… As the RCMP officially confirmed this by any statement or some sort?

  • Lana says:
    October 6, 2009 at 12:07 pm

    Jason, there is no guarantee that you will go through up to the point that you get an offer to go to Depot.
    I was just informed that there are four concrete steps after your file is forwarded to the background check:
    Background investigation,
    Medical,
    Final review,
    And CSIS.
    These steps can take between 6 months to a year at this point. So basically, I can not be hired within the next 6 months almost certainly.
    Does anyone have any other information?

  • Jason says:
    October 7, 2009 at 11:00 am

    Lana. Thanks for clearing up my concern.

  • Kurt says:
    October 8, 2009 at 8:34 am

    Good Morning Everyone,

    I wanted to take a second and thank anyone who has taken the time to post to this blog. I’ve found it very informative and also very reassuring. I, like you, am in the same situation. The situation being that my file is taking a lot longer than applicants who have applied in the past.

    However I can help shed some light as it seems I may be a little ahead in the process than anyone else who has mentioned there application.

    What Lana mentions above is correct. There are in fact more stages after your file goes to background.

    Background Investigation: This took about approximately 1 month. I’m not sure if that was just the individual that processed mine. Or if it’s standard. I do know however that he had mentioned it would only take 7-11 business days during our first meeting.
    Medical: Mine was completed while the background was being handled, so It can overlap. This however went quite quickly 2-3 weeks to be exact. That being said I was able to get all of my testing done within 2-3 day span and submit it quite quickly for further processing.
    Security Clearance: Mine was submitted at the beginning of my Background. Now If I’ve understand correctly since there is a backlog the wait is 2-4 months. This is all case by case basis, however to date I’m still to find out what places you as a higher priority.
    “Final Review” or Final Suitability: The wait is 6-8 month. Again this is case by case. The recruiter I spoke with informed me that the budget did affect his department within the NCR with staffing cutbacks and slower processing. I know this has affected the agency as a whole and I’m starting to see to what degree. Currently a letter went out to all applicants within the process to address all of our concerns on an individual basis.

    Once your file comes back from final suitability, which by the way is a approximately a 60% pass rate your recruiter waits on your security certificate to come in. At that time you should get your course date which should start 2-3 months after file confirmation.

    Now this information is only applicable to the NCR “National Capital Region” (Ottawa) It may differ by province or region.

    As for a little more information, this is my second time applying and I feel I’m a solid candidate and won’t have any issue with getting in. However after spending 8 months my first time and 10 (to this point) my second, my patience is starting to dawdle.
    To answer your question about will it hurt your application, No I don’t believe it will. I have applied to other police forces at the same time as starting my second process with the RCMP. I informed them during my application but quickly put those applications on hold after the RCMP restarted my process. At this time even being where I am I, along with a few others around the same phase have restarted our applications with other organizations. Our concerns lay with the fact that it may take longer than anticipated and that we’re selling ourselves short with keeping availability to only one organization. Although the RCMP is a very admirable organization It may be time to start looking at some of the smaller Policing Forces who are still actively recruiting. Some to the point of North America Wide.

    Hopefully that helped anyone who was looking for more answers.

  • Romany says:
    October 26, 2009 at 2:01 pm

    I am waiting for the poly suppose to have it August…but with cutback, ODS etc… still waiting

    E Div recruiting told me (Oct 09) 10 troops this fiscal year (April 09-March 10) were cancelled and MORE could be (read: will) cancelled in next fiscal (10/11)

    Also told that if one started recruitment process now…could easily be 1.5 years.

  • Lana says:
    October 29, 2009 at 12:07 pm

    Kurt, Thank you for the information.

    I was informed that my background investigation started, and I got dates for medical.

    However, I was informed that it will take over a year from this point!!

    I have an interview scheduled with another police organization. Should I inform the RCMP, if I pass that interview?

    Here is the dilemma:

    On one hand, it may influence them to speed things up; if they see that a good candidate at an advanced stage of the application process may be lost.

    On the other hand, if speeding things up is not an option, they may focus their limited resources on other applicants that showed no immediate interest in other opportunities.

    Before the budget cuts and downturn in the economy, applicants had more opportunities, and many police organizations were competing to hire. However, with less people retiring and the slow down in hiring across the country, Is it wise to show any kind of ambition in terms of other opportunities?

    Has anyone had similar experiences recently?
    For those reading this;
    If you were hired recently by the RCMP, or are close to receiving an offer, or just want to help out with some info, can you share your experience? Did you apply elsewhere at the same time? Did you inform the RCMP? What effect did that have on your application, if any?

    Thanks

    Lana

  • bob says:
    November 26, 2009 at 5:14 pm

    the rcmp is broke, recruiting is stopping, they’re leading everyone on until the new budget is released in april 2010

  • Lana says:
    November 29, 2009 at 9:09 pm

    Hey Kurt,
    How is your application with the RCMP going? Any news??

    Thanks for the input, Bob,

    Lana

  • Bob2 says:
    December 2, 2009 at 12:20 pm

    I guys,

    I really appreciate your comment since I am in the same dilemma. I did the polygraph 2 month ago and still no news. When i called them, the guy told me they were ”crazy busy” and it could take a minimum of 3 month before getting only the background check…I am a bit discouraged…

    Bob2

  • Chris says:
    January 8, 2010 at 12:15 am

    Yikes I have just been selected to start the process over again for the second time looks like I am in for a long wait. I also heard from a friend of mine whose husband is RCMP there is serious talk about shutting down depot during the olympics so that staff from there can lend a hand in Vancouver and make up for the short comings. Thanks for all the info about the process.

  • bob2 says:
    January 8, 2010 at 8:19 am

    I guys again!

    I got some more news, after a long wait I was finally able to talk with the person in charge of my file, the guy was really rude like I was disturbing him, and he only told me that every process is delai and the only thing I can do is wait. And for the thing about the Olympic I heard the same…

    I hope you like your’e current job :P

    Dont desespere :P

    Keep smiling, it will come (one day!!!)

    Bob2

  • Lana says:
    January 8, 2010 at 8:54 am

    Thanks for the info guys,

    Happy New Year!

    Lana

  • Adam says:
    January 18, 2010 at 1:52 pm

    I believe this comment is going out to Lana.

    Go ahead and apply to other police services. It will not hurt your application, nor will it speed it up, but make sure to tell the RCMP you are doing this. I am in the final review stage of the process (Since the end of October) and was looking into other police services. I asked the recruiter in charge of my file if it would hurt my file, and he said that the RCMP encourages their applicants to pursue other options, and not to let their application process ruin any other career chances.

    Also in regards to the budget cuts and the Depot “Slow down” my uncle who is in the RCMP said it would most likely be April by the time Depot gets back to normal recruiting speed. This seems to go along with what everyone says about the budget and the Olympics.

    And to everyone in the process be patient. I have now (as of January 15th) been in the process for two years. It takes a long time but don’t lose hope.

    Adam

  • Lana says:
    January 20, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    Hello Adam,

    Thank you for the post!!

    You mentioned that you’re ” in the final review stage of the process (Since the end of October) “. I am also in the final stage (finished all the medical/psych checks in October)…
    Could you clarify, which stage are you in specifically?

    Happy New Year, and Good luck!!

    Lana

  • Kurt says:
    January 22, 2010 at 10:51 am

    Hey Guys,

    Sorry for the delay in response. I actually forgot I had posted in this section. Been through a lot of forums in the last few weeks so I get’s hard to keep track.

    Unfortunatley not much has changed since my last post. Still patiently waiting. One thing I guess I can suggest is keep doing things that will help your file. School, courses, volunteer work and so on. When you do make sure you update your file coordinator so you get credit for your accomplishments. Being a second time applicant myself I can ensure you that they want to see personal improvement and continous development. I know personally in the last couple months I’ve added numerous things to help aid in my final suitability.

    As for them shutting down depot completely during the olympics you need not worry. Troops have slowed to one every two weeks currently but are expected to increase in April. Currently troop 52 is being loaded which is the all “French Troop” once it’s finished it will start back at 1. However all Troops have been loaded for this fiscal year.

    Also If your interested in a look at the agency from a documentary perspective last night they aired “RCMP Under Fire”. It was an inside look at the RCMP as a whole. It was neat, not super informative but gives you an idea of what we as applicants are up against. I think CBC ran it.

    Hopefully that helps some. I believe most of the facts there are accurate having come from either a file coordinator or someone within the organization. With that being said please feel free to correct me if I am in fact wrong.

    Hope everyone is doing well and please feel free to keep me updated. Would love to see someone getting some news!

    Kurt

  • Lana says:
    January 23, 2010 at 8:49 am

    Hey Kurt,
    I appreciate the update, ill check out the documentary on the RCMP. It’s always interesting to learn more about the organization.

    I spoke to the officer in charge of my file in Ottawa a few days ago. He said that they expect hiring to get back to normal speed after the Olympics. That seems go correspond with everything being said here.

    I agree, it would be nice to hear from someone that went on to be hired.
    Thanks for the continued support and updates, and Good Luck!!
    Lana

  • Mark says:
    August 28, 2010 at 6:02 pm

    It’s been almost one year since this posting… There have been cuts all over the RCMP, not just front line police staff. These cuts have been blamed on the extreme cost of policing for the Olympics and the G-8 and G-20.

Leave a Comment