Navigating the Challenges & Opportunities of Police Recruitment

By Dr. José Luís ( Joe) Couto and Emma Sweeney

Photo credit: Chris Culham, Ontario Police College.

INTRODUCTION

It’s safe to say that the landscape of police recruitment has changed dramatically in recent years. In fact, what once was a stable and steady pipeline of candidates has transformed into a much more complex and challenging process. Police services across Ontario are grappling with issues such as declining applicant pools, heightened public scrutiny, competition with other sectors and changing expectations of recruits themselves. Addressing these challenges requires not only a clear understanding of the factors at play but also innovative, long-term strategies that prioritize the future of law enforcement in this province.

“Just as society has seen massive social, technological and other changes over the last several decades, policing has had to change, too,” said Deputy Chief Roger Wilkie, who is serving as OACP president in 2024-25. “How we recruit, where we recruit and who we recruit has and will continue to change to meet our police organizational and public safety needs.”

According to national Statistics Canada data, there has been a significant decline in police officer applications, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 2023, there were 71,472 police officers across all Canadian police services, 892 more than on the same date in 2022. Despite this increase in police strength in 2023, the rate of police strength in Canada continued the downward trend that started more than 10 years earlier. This was largely attributable to the increase of the Canadian population in 2023, when the growth of the population outpaced that of the number of police officers.

Photo credit: Chris Culham, Ontario Police College.

The rate of police strength (the number that measures the number of police officers per 100,000 population, considering the overall Canadian population) was 178 officers per 100,000 population, down almost two per cent from 2022 and the lowest rate since 1970. Provincially, applications dropped by 31 per cent between 2021 and 2022. This included an alarming 49-per-cent decline in female applicants. Compounding this challenge (likely influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic among other factors), many officers retire early, with 60 per cent of retirements occurring within the first 10 years of service. Put simply, recruitment cannot keep pace with this attrition.

Furthermore, police services are increasingly composed of non-sworn police professional employees, such as clerks, communications staff, managers and other professionals in roles focusing on administrative support, operational communications, information technology services, reception services and vehicle and facility services. Aside from sworn officers, in 2023, civilians accounted for most of the overall growth of all employees, increasing 1,316 from the previous year. This growth occurred alongside an increase of 185 special constables. By contrast, there were 55 fewer recruits than in 2022. In 2023, women represented 69 per cent of civilian personnel within police services, 35 per cent of special constables and 22 per cent of recruits (Statistics Canada).

So, why are these numbers dwindling? Is policing no longer a profession of choice for new employees?

CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS

In April 2023, the Government of Ontario made two significant changes in the hopes of drawing more people to a career in law enforcement. First, the Basic Constable Training tuition fees at the Ontario Police College were removed. Secondly, the requirement for post-secondary education was also eliminated. While the latter move has drawn different responses both within policing and in society, both moves were made to make policing more accessible to a wider range of the greater population.

What everyone can agree on is that recruitment practices for police officers in Ontario are critical because they shape the future of law enforcement and the relationship between police and the communities they serve. Among the factors that need to be considered are:

The Changing Role of Police

• Community-centric Policing: Community Policing was introduced in the 1980s and taught in this province in the 1990s. Today, Ontario has seen a shift towards policing that emphasizes collaboration with the community rather than simply enforcing the law. Recruitment practices need to prioritize candidates who understand this changing role and are motivated by a service-oriented mindset.

• De-escalation Skills: De-escalation has slowly but steadily become the priority for frontline police professionals. They are increasingly being called upon to deal with crises that require de-escalation rather than force. Hiring officers who are trained, or have the potential to be trained, in conflict resolution is critical. Critical thinking for officers means they will accurately assess a given situation and use the best resolution option, preferably by de-escalation of a situation.

Community Trust and Diversity

• Representation: Ontario is one of the most multicultural jurisdictions in North America, particularly in areas like the Greater Toronto Area, the Golden Horseshoe, Ottawa, Windsor, London and Waterloo Region. It’s important that police services reflect the cultural and racial diversity of the communities they serve, as well as representation of females and individuals who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+. Recruitment strategies need to prioritize diversity to build trust, enhance cultural competency and reflect the needs of diverse communities

• Public Perception: Police officers who understand the cultural, social and economic backgrounds of the people in their jurisdiction can better navigate community relations, leading to more positive interactions.

Adapting to Contemporary Social Trends

• Human Rights Lens: Today’s police recruits require sensitivity to a variety of social issues, including gender rights, 2SLGBTQIA+ issues, Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation, etc.

• Officers and Social Work: Increasingly, policing work involves collaboration with social services, health-care providers, educators and other groups who support people in our communities, especially in cases involving intimate partner violence, those living with home and food insecurities and those living with addiction. Individuals with backgrounds in these areas could play a critical role in policing – both as frontline and supervisory personnel within police organizations and as part of the recruitment and training processes for officers.

Transparency and Accountability

• Effective Screening: From the Constable Selection System’s pre-screening to police services’ own recruitment selection, police recruitment adopts rigorous screening processes, including psychological testing and background checks, to identify candidates who may pose a risk to public safety. This includes checking for biases, tendencies toward violence or a history of abuse of power.

• Legitimacy: With heightened public concerns over the trust and accountability of police, recruitment processes must be transparent and focused on building trust, including community input into recruitment and clear guidelines on the qualifications and backgrounds expected from new recruits.

Addressing Systemic Issues

• Biases and Discrimination: Ontario, like many regions, has faced concerns about systemic racism in policing. In fact, the OACP emphatically declared that in many other public institutions, policing must deal with the realities of systemic racism in our police organizations. Recruitment processes must, therefore, focus on identifying candidates who are empathetic, have emotional intelligence and are committed to fair policing. Bias training needs to be incorporated right from the recruitment stage.

• Mental Health Awareness: Police officers are tasked with handling situations involving mental health crises. They must also deal with the natural stresses of the job. Recruitment practices must, therefore, emphasize selecting candidates who can manage these complex situations with care, compassion and appropriate training.

Technological Proficiency

• Evolution of Crime: The nature of crime is evolving with technology. Recruits who are comfortable with technology (including the emergence of artificial intelligence) and capable of handling the digital aspects of law enforcement are critical to the future of public safety.

A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

Addressing the urgent need to change our approach to recruitment of new officers requires all police stakeholders – management, oversight bodies, labour groups – to work together. This is the genesis of the Collaborative Working Group on Marketing the Policing Profession (CWG), which was formed in February 2023 and brought together the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP), Indigenous Police Chiefs of Ontario (IPCO), Ontario Association of Police Services Boards (OAPSB), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA), Police Association of Ontario (PAO), Toronto Police Service (TPS) and Toronto Police Association (TPA) to develop a collaborative approach to the wicked problems involved in police recruitment today. The CWG brings together a wealth of experience and expertise to tackle these complex issues.

Photo credit: Chris Culham, Ontario Police College.

The group took to develop a comprehensive Recommendation Report, which outlined the current challenges and opportunities related to police recruitment in Ontario. In its report, which was shared with the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General, the CWG identified current barriers to recruitment, including negative media portrayals of policing, increased violence toward officers and a highly competitive job market, which are deterring potential applicants. Additionally, it found that recruiting strategies and marketing expertise vary greatly from service to service, often with larger services having more resources to attract applicants, while smaller services struggle.

The CWG submitted recommendations with a proposed plan of action to the Ministry as part of the ongoing engagement between the police sector and government on ways to support positive changes in law enforcement, including the recruitment and hiring of qualified, diverse new police officers who bring a myriad of qualities to their chosen profession. The report includes a multi-phased plan of research, strategy, creative development, production and media advertising. The report also outlines the current challenges and opportunities related to police recruitment in Ontario, including:

• The focus must include a particular focus on millennials and gen Z, who require marketing that is authentic, relatable and geared towards short-form, engaging content.

• New recruits consistently emphasize the need for improved recruitment outreach, streamlined and digitized application processes and consistent communication with applicants.

• We must bring a sense of urgency to addressing recruitment shortfalls to maintain public safety and suggest a coordinated, well-funded approach to marketing the policing profession in Ontario.

CONCLUSION

The challenges facing police recruitment in Ontario are substantial, but they are not insurmountable; they are about adapting to new realities. Attracting the next generation of officers who are not only skilled and diverse, but also passionate about public service is perhaps the greatest challenge facing police services in Ontario. Senior police leaders will continue to have an instrumental role in driving this transformation and ensuring that Ontario’s law enforcement agencies continue to meet the evolving needs of the communities they serve.

Dr. José Luís (Joe) Couto has served as Director of Government Relations and Communications for the OACP for 20 years. He can be contacted at jcouto@oacp.ca.

Emma Sweeney is a Communications Specialist for the OACP. She can be reached at communications@oacp.ca.

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