Queen’s Park expands constable training program at Aylmer police college

AYLMER – A training program for new police recruits is expanding to help forces deal with staff shortages and recruitment challenges, Ontario’s solicitor general says.

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The annual capacity for the basic constable training program at the Ontario Police College in Aylmer will grow by 80 spaces beginning next year, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner announced Wednesday.

“The college here in Aylmer is not only one of the best in North America, it’s also one of the largest, and it’s about to become even larger,” Kerzner said. “To keep more communities safe we ​​needed to put more boots on the ground and that’s why we’re here today.”

Wednesday’s is the latest effort by Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government to combat announcing staffing shortages and recruitment challenges plaguing police forces across the province.

Last year, the province expanded the constable training program from three classes per year to four, with each class increasing to 500 trainees from 480. The government also removed the $17,000 tuition fee to attend the 12-week program that’s required to be a police officer in Ontario.

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First Nation, small- and medium-sized police forces will be prioritized for the additional spaces in the constable training program, said Kerzner, who didn’t provide a cost for the expansion when asked multiple times by reporters.

Aylmer deputy Chief Kyle Johnstone, one of around a dozen senior police officers from Southwestern Ontario attending Kerzner’s announcement, said staff shortages are “one of the foremost operational issues at play today.”

“These shortages at any police service are problematic, however, in smaller services, the vacancies are felt exponentially,” said Johnstone, who will become Aylmer’s top cop next year when Chief Zvonko Horvat retires. “With this initiative, I’m certain our staffing needs will be able to be adequately maintained going forward, which will ensure we, and other smaller services, will continue to operate and provide community safety.”

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The head of the Police Association of Ontario, an organization representing more than 28,000 officers and civilians from 45 police forces, called the expanded training program a “game changer” for police forces outside of big cities.

Small- and medium-sized police forces are also dealing with issues facing big-city police like rising crime rates, repeat offenders being released on bail only to commit more crimes and more calls related to mental health and drug addiction, association president Mark Baxter said .

“And while doing all of this, they’re preserving the close-knit relationships that they’ve built within the community,” Baxter said. “This balance requires a well-trained, well-prepared and fully staffed police service – something that this expanded program will help achieve.”

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London police Chief Thai Truong said the expanded constable training program will make all communities safer.

“If policing as a whole is supported and staffing shortages are addressed appropriately then that will allow us to flourish all together as we ensure that communities that we are responsible for are safe,” Truong said.

London police used to get nine spots at each constable training program per class, but that number has increased to 15 per class, Truong said, adding it takes, on average, between eight to 10 months for a new recruit to be ready for independent patrol after they’re hired.

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