The Surrey Police Service (SPS) hosted its second intro to policing workshop for women Saturday (May 10) at a training facility in Newton.
All 24 participants had attended an initial SPS information session. Sgt. Cindy Vance, with the SPS recruiting section, said that traditionally, more men than women apply for a career in policing. So, this workshop aims to give women insight into what a potential career in policing could be and to "demystify it" a bit.
It gives them a chance to meet SPS officers, learn about the career, take part in the police officer physical abilities test, be introduced to police defence tactics and equipment, participate in team-building activities, and more.
Vance added that some people may discount themselves when considering joining the police because they feel they are not big enough or strong enough.
They often think, "I've got to be a big, strong male that's going to come in and break down doors."
"Well, that's not a lot of what we do, it's some of what we do, but it's not all of what we do. So the importance here is to sort of a open the door into the world that maybe they're not familiar with, and provide them with that insight and that introduction," Vance said.
The next step for the women who attended today's workshop and are interested is to apply for a career with Surrey Police Service or another police department. There is no expectation that participants will join SPS when they sign up for a workshop, but of course, that is the hope, Vance said.
While men play a vital role in policing, the Surrey Police Service would like to hire more women. Women often bring a different perspective than men, Vance said. Both of which are needed.
"That's what makes a good police department, is that all those different experiences, culture, religion, language, gender, all those things, they make us what we want to be to represent the community, and then when we're going to a call, we've got those different perspectives that can then be used to help solve whatever problem that we're dealing with," Vance said.
Vance said that only 22 percent of SPS officers are female. "They're just not as likely to apply to get into policing as males are and I think part of that reason is that concept of what does it really mean to be a police officer, and does that fit for me as a female," Vance added.
