OPPBound2005 Taking Applications
ORILLIA,
ON, Feb. 3 /CNW/ - The Ontario Provincial Police is readying
itself
for its third OPPBound recruitment program, scheduled to be held this
summer
in Orillia.
This
year, OPPBound2005 is a recruitment venture aimed to increase
awareness
of employment opportunities in the OPP for women and men from
diverse
communities. The one-week camp will serve as a vehicle to provide a
diverse
group of women and men with an opportunity to explore a career with
the
Ontario Provincial Police.
In
July 2003, the OPP held its first successful OPPBound that was
designed
to attract women to policing. In 2004, OPP Commissioner Gwen Boniface
hosted
OPPBound2004, which invited Aboriginal men and women to OPP General
Headquarters
in Orillia for the 1-week mini-recruit camp.
Participants
will learn about the history and traditions of the OPP and
the
program will include a number of mentoring sessions with key OPP officers
who
will share their experiences. Participants will also have the opportunity
to
experience a week in the life of an OPP recruit at the Academy, taking
part
in
firearms exercises, fitness drills, police vehicle operations and other
practical
exercises.
One
of the goals of OPPBound is to provide an understanding around a
career
in policing and to encourage qualified applicants to apply to the OPP.
The
significant increase in the number of women hired as OPP Constables since
2003
and Aboriginal men and women hired as OPP Constables in 2004 is one
measure
of the success of OPPBound. Of the 100 women who attended
OPPBound2003,
5 have been hired by the OPP and 17 are still in the process.
Three
of the Aboriginal women and men who attended OPPBound2004 have been
hired
and 46 are in the final stages of the process.
The
application deadline for OPPBound2005 is May 9, 2005 and a total of
100
men and women from diverse communities in Ontario will be selected for the
five-day
mini-OPP recruit camp, being held at the Provincial Police Academy
from
July 10 - 14, 2005.
Men
and women from diverse communities interested in taking advantage of
this
opportunity can obtain information and apply from the OPP website at:
opp.ca
or by calling the Ontario Provincial Police Uniform Recruitment Unit at
1-866-393-3337.
