Kid cops run drills at Coquitlam summer camp

Police work is serious business — investigating car crashes, pulling over impaired drivers and combing through evidence at crime scenes — but nearly 100 children and young teens in Coquitlam are getting a chance to give it a try.

It's all part of the Junior Mountie Camp going on this week at the Poirier Recreation and Leisure Complex.

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The five-day camp run by Coquitlam RCMP introduces the youngsters to some of the basics of police work.

"It's actually kind of putting yourself in a Mounties' shoes and getting to, kind of, see what they get to do for an everyday life, and it's kind of fun," said Katie Love, 12, who's taking part in the camp for her second time.

"The trickiest part is, I don't know, I think pulling people over and not, kind of — that might be a bit harder, because you have to remember the code thing, like what their rights are, which is kind of hard to remember, because there's a lot of words there," she said.

Love heard about the camp from her father, who's an officer with the force. She's thinking about becoming a cop one day, as well.

"I think it would be really cool to be able to help people and protect people and know that if something's happening, you'd be there to help them," said Love.

Nicole Cairns, community policing services coordinator for Coquitlam RCMP, is one of the people responsible for putting on the event.

She said that, while some children end up wanting to become officers when they grow up, it's not necessarily the point of the camp.

"For the most part it's just for [the kids] to realize that the police are in their community; they're there to help them if they're ever in trouble. They're not somebody to be afraid of or stay back from; they're someone they can go to for help," she said.

Emma Valibeigi, 13, doesn't plan on growing up to be an officer — she has her sights set on a career as a lawyer. She's returning to the camp this year as a corporal.

Of the 96 participants, there are only four corporals. They're aged 13 to 15 and were selected based on submitted essays detailing their leadership qualities. The regular cadets were chosen from about 250 applicants by a blind lottery, according to Cairns.

"I don't think I'm going to become a police officer, but it's definitely fun to learn about it each year," said Valibeigi. "You learn a lot, and you get a lot of benefits from it."

She said her favourite part of the camp is actually the drills.

"Drill is basically when … you practice, like, the marching and what you're going to do for your ceremony on Friday, so it's really fun to prepare for that," said Valibeigi. "Even though your back gets really stiff, because you have to stand, like, really still the whole time, it's still pretty fun."

There are about 30 volunteers and 10 uniformed officers who help keep everything running smoothly all week.

One of them is Const. Bill Peterson, who usually works with the Youth Detail Section.

"I love working with the kids," he said. "I have a huge passion to try to get that proactive side of policing happening and let them know that we're the good guy and not always there for bad reasons."

Peterson was helping guide the cadets through the impaired driver scenario on Wednesday, something he knows a lot about from his three and a half years working in traffic.

"For the most part they've actually been pretty good, he said. "Of course you have to control the attention span of nine to 13 year olds and you work with what you've got to keep them in check, but if it means the occasional pushup, then they do the occasional pushup."

Peterson, sporting a uniform complete with radio, sidearm and flak jacket, said this isn't his first Junior Mountie Camp, and he plans on coming back to do it again.

Love said she might come back next year to give the corporal role a try, and Valibeigi's advice for other children?

"You should definitely do it. It's really fun, and you get to meet a lot of new and really cool people here," she said. "Just try it out."