As the RCMP attracts more experienced officers, P.E.I.'s municipal police forces try to fill gaps

Several experienced officers have joined the P.E.I. RCMP after the national police service modernized its job posting rules a few years ago — and many of those officers left municipal forces to be part of the Mounties' ranks. 

The new rules means officers can apply for a posting in a specific location, like P.E.I., and stay put.

Before this change, officers would be stationed wherever they were needed, even if that meant moving elsewhere in the country. 

While municipal law enforcement agencies on the Island have lost some of their members, police forces in Summerside and Charlottetown said they're working to fill the gaps. 

In Charlottetown, seven officers have left the service since 2023 to pursue a career in law enforcement elsewhere, said Deputy Chief Sean Coombs in an emailed statement. 

The local agency has been able to fill some, but not all of the vacancies. In its most recent hiring competition, Charlottetown Police Services hired six full-time officers, he said. 

"All police agencies across Canada are having difficulties keeping staff numbers up due to individuals leaving for other employment or retirements," Coombs said in the statement. 

"Charlottetown Police has implemented a recruitment and retention strategy that we feel confident will yield a positive outcome." 

In Summerside, the police agency is "in a good place" in terms of staffing, said Deputy Chief Jason Blacquiere.

"There's been some turnover in the last couple of years but we've been able to replace those officers that have left," he said. "You hate to see good people go but people make their own decisions for their own personal reasons."  

While Summerside has lost some members to the RCMP over the last few years, Blacquiere said they've also hired RCMP members and experienced officers from agencies in other provinces.

If people are looking for change... those opportunities are there now like never before.— Jason Blacquiere, Summerside Police Services

When talking about staffing, Blacquiere said you have to look at the national perspective, not the local one. 

"There's so many vacancies now right across the country," he said. 

"If people are looking for change — whether it's to get closer to home or for other reasons, those opportunities are there now like never before." 

He added that in his 25-year career, he's never seen vacancies like what exists now on the national level.  

'Fluid dynamic'

When it comes to policing, it's not unusual for officers to move around, said Cpl. Gavin Moore, the media relations officer for the P.E.I. RCMP.

"This is a fluid dynamic that has been the norm across Canada for a very long time," he said. 

"The market dynamics for policing have always been such that police do move around. And people will adapt to the agency that suits them best." 

The RCMP doesn't recruit from local agencies or try to attract specific people, but Moore said the force does have broad policies and practices that people seem to be responding to. 

"To be able to be in the RCMP and serve in P.E.I. is very attractive," he said. 

"What we try to do is to be as competitive as possible, and ultimately we want the best officers we can on Island streets."

Moore said that in the last few years, 18 vacancies have been filled by experienced police officers — though he had no details on how many of those officers came from municipal police forces in P.E.I. 

While experienced officers require less training and bring skills that are beneficial to the job, Moore said the RCMP wants to strike a balance of new recruits and experienced members. 

He said the hiring process is based on finding "the best possible candidates." 

"You want that youth and you want that energy that might come from a brand new recruit," Moore said. "But also equally valuable is experience, knowledge and ability to hire somebody who can immediately go on the road with years of experience."