The Regina Police Service (RPS) wants 30% of its officers to be women by 2030..A new recruiting website targeted at attracting more women to the police force is the first step..A movement in the United States called 30x30 sets a goal of achieving 30% of female officers in the force by 2030..RPS Deputy Chief Lorilee Davies said that once that 30% goal is reached, women will be able to make changes to the organization..“Once a group in an organization is able to achieve that 30% mark … they have the ability to enact change in an organization, there really is that empowerment,” said Davies..Right now, about 24% of RPS officers are female and studies show that female officers get fewer complaints and use less force..“Studies have also shown that female officers tend to have less use of force involved and [fewer] public complaints, and that translates to better outcomes for victims of crime, especially when you’re thinking about sexual assaults,” said Davies..Elizabeth Nguyen, RPS executive director, said a change in how the RPS advertises is necessary to recruit more female officers..“When you see ads for policing, historically it’s a lot of masculine type of images,” said Nguyen..“There’s more to policing. It’s not just a masculine culture with tactics and law enforcement. There’s also a caring component and a support component with the community as well.”.Nguyen said the 30x30 model includes mid-term and long-term goals..“We’re not just trying to meet the numbers, we’re trying to set everyone up for success in our organization,” said Nguyen..Having a female deputy chief sets a good example for other females considering a career as a police officer, also the RPS wants more diversity than just adding more female officers, according to Nguyen..RPS plans to increase diversity across other groups, such as visible minorities and indigenous people..Presently, 8.3% of officers in the RPS are visible minorities and 7.3% are indigenous..Davies said that police recruitment is difficult because of the 'defund the police' movement and the COVID-19 pandemic..“I think policing in general in North America for sure is having a hard time recruiting right now, sort of going through the defund movement and through COVID,” said Davies..One way the RPS plans to recruit a more diverse workforce is by getting out into the community and meeting people..“We can’t just expect diverse people in our community just to come knocking on our door. We have to be out forging those relationships and creating trust in the community,” said Davies..For more information about joining the RPS, please see their recruitment website.
