Staff Recruitment and Retention Biggest Challenges Facing RCMP – Brenda Butterworth-Carr
Newly appointed Commanding Officer of the RCMP in B.C., Deputy Commissioner Brenda Butterworth-Carr, addressed the media at BC RCMP headquarters in Surrey Tuesday morning
Surrey, B.C. – B.C.’s newest top cop says staff recruitment and retention are the biggest challenges facing the RCMP in this country.
Newly appointed commanding officer of the RCMP in B.C., Deputy Commissioner Brenda Butterworth-Carr, made the comment this morning from E Division headquarters in Surrey during her first media availability since starting her new job last week.
“Being able to recruit additionally – we’re competing with private and public industry and as well as other police services,” she said. “And being able to continue retaining our employees while moving forward and delivering great services.”
Butterworth-Carr added the biggest obstacle in addressing both recruitment and retention of staff is pay.
“Pay has been a challenge for us and on a national level I know that the Commissioner has been very aggressive in bringing that forward to the federal government and through the discussions we’ve had I would say that’s the biggest impact for us.”
When it comes to the legalization of marijuana she said Mounties are “actively working with the federal and provincial governments” on the matter.
“As legislation comes into play, there’s a tremendous amount of consultation that is occurring and whether it’s impaired driving related to drugs and so forth we are certainly addressing any of the training we require to be able to support that and we’ll wait to see what the legislation looks like and respond accordingly to it.”
Asked for her views on sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviours with the force, Butterworth-Carr said the organization takes a “zero tolerance” approach.
Adding she couldn’t comment on any ongoing investigations, she said: “The tone I’ll be setting is the one that I have for the entire course of my experience. It’s that we’re a force of inclusion, equality and that we strive for that and anything less is unacceptable.”
She also addressed the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and said “a multi-sectoral” approach – including collaboration between all levels of government including First Nations – is needed.
“We need to focus on prevention and the education and the reduction of any of our women and girls – whether it’s violence in relationships, high-risk lifestyles or in some communities a lack of much needed “infrastructure.”
From the Tr’ondek Hwech’in Han Nation in the Yukon, Butterworth-Carr is no stranger to the North having previously held the position of Assistant District Commander for North District. She was also Supt. of the Prince George RCMP and has also served in the Yukon, National Headquarters and Saskatchewan.
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“B.C.’s newest top cop says staff recruitment and retention are the biggest challenges facing the RCMP in this country”
Are white males allowed to apply now?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/mounties-to-recruit-for-women-and-minorities/article1380277/
Don’t be silly, we wouldn’t be Canada if we hired based on qualifications instead of gender and ethnic background.
I have known lots of locals that wanted to join the RCMP, but I think white males need not apply. Only one guy I know got accepted and he’s a pompous ass. It’s to bad because a lot of these guys would have made great officers and only wanted to serve their community. One guy even did auxiliary officer for ten years but couldn’t get on as a regular because of his weight, which for a big guy wasn’t all that bad. It’s too bad because our crime statistics I believe reflect in part that we don’t have many locals serving locally.
Not surprising. It’s a hard job that requires quick decisions to be made without knowing all the information, not to mention mostly thankless work. Kudos to the men and women who do this job every day.
Give us a break Rusty. The jobs are very well paid, and they get very good training. Isn’t most work **thankless** If they took the job for the thanks, then perhaps they took it for the wrong reasons.
The pay is ok, but remember they put their lives on the line every day. Not many are willing to do that. I think many people do this work to make a positive impact in their communities. It’s got to be frustrating dealing with the same lowlifes over and over thanks to our toothless justice system.
Give me a break. If you have never had a firearm pointed at you, then I would understand you comment. If you have never been stuck with a dirty needle, been spat on, then I might understand your comment. These folks are worth a hell of a lot more than they are getting paid. Nurses as well.
yeahhh what other job do you get six months schooling and then pay starts at sixty grand
Obviously pay is not a huge motivator, stillsmokin’. Otherwise they wouldn’t have such a hard time finding and keeping people.
The pay is on the upper scale but training??? Almost next to nothing..
Wish Butter Cup all the success and hope he can make it a happy work environment
500 bucks a week plus room and board, uniform and travel for a 26 week training program isn’t too shabby. Who expects to get rich while in training?
Big bonuses for RCMP top brass as front-line Mounties go without pay hikes
It’s called “at risk” performance pay, even though it went to senior Mounties with desk jobs.
In 2016, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson signed off on more than $1.7 million worth of bonuses for 90 senior officers, not including himself.
That works out to $295,514 divided up among six deputy commissioners, $596,669 for 28 assistant commissioners and $838,137 for 56 chief superintendents. That’s a nine per cent increase over their 2015 bonuses.
while rank-and-file members of the RCMP have not received a raise since January 2014.
Chief human relations officer for the RCMP, confirmed the Mounties now rank 72nd out of 80 similarly sized Canadian police forces when it comes to pay.
For instance, the starting salary for a first-class RCMP constable is $84,000. In Calgary, it’s $102,000.
In addition, Mounties were subject to the previous government’s “deficit reduction action plan.” Pay increases between 2008 and 2014 averaged to about 1.5 per cent a year.
Poor, poor RCMP who put their lives on the line everyday! Sorry, no sympathy from me whatsoever I was Corrections for over 35 years with no weapons and just using my smarts and common sense! Try that at a wage way less then a member. Whop-de-doo, tough! We are never considered fo anything in the public’s eye as we aren’t out there.
The days of talking people down are gone my friend. Ever since they brought in Force options, and the younger generation really doesn’t have a clue how to read people and talk anymore.
I do wish they’d kick a few politicians in the butt and help them get a clue that you have to pay nowadays to get good recruits( That goes for corrections, sheriffs, conservation as well), and you have to have a much bigger budget to fight organized crime.
Organized crime was alive and well in the early thirties. So how is the fight going.?? Are we making any headway. Seems like we are losing ground
Pal, we will always lose ground until the budget for fighting crime goes way up.
Agree
Agree was for Lien.
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