10 recruits now move on to 6 months of on-the-ground training
CBC Indigenous: Autumn Lowther joined the Manitoba First Nations Police Service out of a love for her community and to fight for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Her aunt Amanda Sophia Bartlett went missing in 1996.
“My goal is just to protect my sisters. I’m the oldest out of three sisters and also protect my sisters in the community,” she said.
Lowther, who hails from Opaskwayak Cree Nation, is one of 10 recruits celebrating their graduation from the service’s six-month policing program in Southport, Man., on Friday. The program is the first of its kind for the organization — it partnered with Assiniboine Community College to exclusively train recruits who will become police officers for the Manitoba First Nations Police Service.
Lowther will be travelling to Canupawakpa Dakota Nation and Bird Tail Sioux Dakota Nation in southwestern Manitoba for six months of on-the-ground training.
“I’m excited to learn, to gain new experiences, I’m excited to be involved in the community, I’m excited to hopefully make a difference in other people’s lives,” Lowther said.
Creating community connections
Doug Palson, the chief of the Manitoba First Nations Police Service, said it’s challenging right now because everybody is looking for police officers. Palson said they’ve adapted by focusing hard on creating community connections to find and recruit potential officers.
The service continues to expand, so more recruits will be needed, Palson said. The organization hopes to be active in Brokenhead Ojibway Nation by the end of the year and has other communities actively looking for service.
The program with Assiniboine Community College highlights the importance of having a police service that is culturally responsive and accountable to the communities it serves.
If recruitment efforts are successful, they plan on having another class in the fall, Palson said.
“We’ve had lots of people join our service over the years, but at the entry-level, the recruit training, it’s always been having to get seats in other programs,” Palson said. “This is one of the first times it’s been dedicated specifically for our members.”
The program has let them get First Nations candidates to pursue a career in policing knowing it can be a long-lasting and fulfilling job, Palson said.
In some cases, they can even serve their home communities.
The structure of the class includes cultural components with a focus on community and crime prevention by creating community connections, Palson said.
He wants recruits to carry the motivation they had in their six months of training into the community they will now serve in for another six months of on-the-ground training. During this time they’ll work with a coach officer and if they do well they will be released on their own, where they could be moved to other communities.
“Continue to learn, continue to develop and get to know the community that you are working in,” Palson said. “Get to know the community and it will go a long way in helping with the community safety initiatives.”
Graduates will be assigned to various detachments across the province.
On-the-ground connections
Valedictorian Maxim Beaulieu, who hails from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, celebrated his graduation with his wife Christy and young son Max Jr.
While the long hours and time away from his family will be challenging, it’s an exciting opportunity, Beaulieu said.
He was inspired to join by a family member who is in the service and past co-workers who were in the RCMP and, “seeing them in those careers and the accomplishments they achieved,” Beaulieu said.
Beaulieu is headed to Long Plain First Nation for his six months of field training with a senior officer. Although he’s visited Long Plain in the past for powwows — watching the dancing, enjoying music and eating fresh bannock tacos — he’s looking forward to getting to know the community better.
“As a First Nation man, I feel confident going into First Nation communities. I’ve seen some struggles in my own family and my own experiences so I think I can understand with what people are dealing with on the cultural side,” Beaulieu said.
Manitoba First Nations Police Service graduates its 1st recruits from new program
3 days ago, Duration 1:44
Ten recruits celebrated their graduation from the Manitoba First Nations Police Service’s six-month policing program in Southport, Man., on Friday. The program is the first of its kind for the organization — it partnered with Assiniboine Community College to exclusively train recruits who will become police officers for the service.
Click on the following link to view the video:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/mfnps-grads-1.7179673
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chelsea Kemp, Brandon Reporter
Chelsea Kemp is a multimedia journalist with CBC Manitoba. She is based in CBC’s bureau in Brandon, covering stories focused on rural Manitoba. Share your story ideas, tips and feedback with chelsea.kemp@cbc.ca.