If you are in high school, and you are thinking about choosing Police Technology as your future field of study to become a police officer in the end, this article is for you. I am writing this article because since the beginning of my college years, I noticed a number of people who left after the first year and a half and each one of them told me the exact same reason why they quit. They weren't aware that being a police officer was that and by that I mean what we were studying and all. So, before choosing this path, I want to inform you as much as possible about what is a police officer, what he does and how would your work be like.
Being a police officer is a very difficult and wonderful job. Let me explain. As a police officer, you deal with the not fun part of society such as criminals, people in distress and with each intervention, you will have to be able to adapt on how will solve the problem you are facing and as quickly as possible. Not only that, there is a big part of your job that will be to do prevention and to go see the people in the communities to do so since being a police officer is a social work as some may not know.
Police officers patrol in a police cruiser to spot crimes or infractions. They respond to calls from the community or from the call center who gives us information at all times on what's happening in the city. They can also be an assistance to others, mainly the firefighters and the paramedics when they need help or for their safety and the safety of others while they do their job. Lastly, they can do prevention such as meetings at schools to talk about their job to raise awareness and all.
They arrive at the police station for the beginning of their 8 hour shift ether during the day, the evening or during the night. Then, they receive their assignations for the day such as were to patrol today, whose your partner and what needs to be done today. Next, you meet up with your partner and get in the police cruiser to start your shift on patrol. During that time, you are doing surveillance on the sector, you respond to calls, and you might have to help other first responders who need your assistance. After your shift, you go back to the station to debrief your day with your colleagues, and you finish writing all of your reports before going home.
They work at a variety of places such as their car when they patrol in a neighborhood or on the highway. They can also work in schools to raise awareness on the youth or attract students in their field of study. Finally, they work most of the time with the community and the sector they are assigned to.
To become a police officer in Quebec, you must follow some requirements such as having a good physique, not having a criminal record and be a Canadian citizen. Also, you need to complete a three-years training in Police Technology at Cegep. After getting your college diploma, you must do a training at the École nationale de police du Québec (ENPQ) for 3 to 4 months. When you have finished your studies at the Quebec police academy, you can apply to whatever police department in the province you want.
In the province of Quebec, the average salary for a police officer is reported being around 87 926$ which is the equivalent of the lower income when you start and the top income when you acquire years of services.
There are many kinds of additional training a police officer can take during his career such as: Crisis Intervention Training (CIT): which teaches officers how to handle mental health crises and deescalate potentially volatile situations. Physical Fitness and Defensive Tactics: Those courses are to help officers with physical training and self-defense techniques to maintain fitness and readiness. Advanced Tactical Training: training to be part of a specialized unit like SWAT and learning to use different weaponry.
Police work is among the most dangerous and requires special training. The hazards of police work include: Violent attacks. Standing or sitting for long hours. Exposure to contagious and infectious diseases from people, animals, needles, and other sources. Exposure to various chemical or biological hazards. Exposure to opioids or other substances. Pain from physical overexertion and prolonged or awkward body postures. Exposure to extreme working conditions, extreme temperatures and UV radiation. Noise. Slips, trips, and falls. Fatigue from shift work. Psychological stress or trauma. Working alone. Danger of driving at high speeds, often in difficult traffic or weather conditions. Workplace violence or harassment, and harassment from the public.
The chances of police officers getting replaced by robots soon are very low because machines could never be able to replace the skills and understanding of a human. In fact, this profession is based on human interactions between police officers and the society. However, since robots don’t have emotions, they wouldn’t be able to substitute a police officer. Nevertheless, robots could be useful in the future to accomplish specific aspects of the job. In fact, using robots to control riots and in high-risk operations may help to avoid human deaths and injuries. In addition, robots could be a great alternative to help police officers by enhancing police database and prevention of criminality.
Most of the time, police officers retired after 30 years or service or more. Usually, they are aged between 50-60 years old. After all these years of services, they will have acquired many skills, but you need to watch your mental health because especially in the end of their career, mental health problems are often reported in the job if it is not taken care properly.
In conclusion, I'm in my second year of studying Police Technology at Ahuntsic College. I am learning valuable techniques and skills that are preparing myself for my time at the École Nationale de Police du Québec (ENPQ). I hope this career summary helped you make your choice on whether or not you want to take the path of being a police officer like me and that you learned more on the job of a police officer.
Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: government
Date: still relevant
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: no sources cited
Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: government
Date: still relevant
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: no sources cited
Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: government
Date: still relevant
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: cites sources