The disappointed dream of aspiring police officers

White women have recently been excluded from training now offered only “to members of visible or ethnic minorities and Aboriginals. Two of them tell of their disenchantment.

Lila Dussault
The Press

White women dreaming of becoming police officers have been excluded from a study program overseen by the Quebec Ministry of Public Security, now reserved for Indigenous peoples and racialized groups.

“It’s the energy and the hope that you put into it, to finally have the rug pulled out from under you,” says Annie*, aspirant to the AEC Diversity program of the Ministry of Public Security (MSP). Occupying a civilian job in the police environment, without being a police officer, this woman requested anonymity for fear of repercussions on her career.

In 2021, she believed she could achieve her dream of becoming a police officer thanks to a program aimed at increasing diversity in the police force. But the admission criteria changed… a few months after he submitted his candidacy.

In Quebec, only one in three police officers is a woman, according to data from the MSP. These figures are consistent with those of the National Police School of Quebec (ENPQ), where from 25.5% to 34% of recruits were women between 2010 and 2021, according to information collected by The Press.

However, the face of the profession is still very uniform: in all the police forces of the province, less than 6 police officers out of 100 were from “visible and ethnic minorities” in 2020, men and women combined, according to the MSP.

“Normally, when we talk about historically marginalized groups, women are there, and white women too”, analyzes Sophie Brière, professor of management at Laval University, who has already carried out research on the paths of women in the forces. police in Quebec. “But it is certain that when we look at all forms of discrimination [race, genre, etc.]it accumulates, ”she adds.

A specific program

To compensate for these disparities, the Department offers the accelerated AEC Diversity training program. “An exceptional training measure that meets specific police manpower needs,” said the MSP by email.

People who already have a diploma and work in the community, without being police officers, are eligible. Selected candidates have the chance to follow a nine-month accelerated training course before entering the ENPQ program – compulsory for all future police officers.

Each year, a committee reviews the eligibility criteria.

The criterion of “remote region” corresponds to “areas located outside major centers and served by certain service points of the Sûreté du Québec and by indigenous police services”, specifies the MSP.

In summary, white women in major cities in Quebec were excluded from the process. And for some, the pill was hard to swallow.

Disappointment

“I can’t even tell you how huge my disappointment was, because the process was going well, on both sides,” says Annie. She had validated her eligibility for the program several times before submitting her application to two police forces, as of September 2021.

“I had passed my first tests, I had gone to get my eye surgery reports, I had undergone very intrusive security tests, where a person from Major Crimes had interviewed my entourage, my former employers, etc. “, Continues the aspiring police officer. Not to mention the intensive training to prepare for the physical tests.

The ax fell in the form of emails, at the beginning of 2022. The Press consulted. It was determined that this year, the program would only be aimed at members of minority groups, that is, people of aboriginal origin and members of visible or ethnic minorities. »

The same criteria also applied to her second candidacy: “Exceptionally this year, it was decided that only candidates from certain target groups would be considered in the process,” she learned by email.

“Exclude women [blanches], for me, it doesn’t make sense, because there is a huge shortage of women in the police force,” laments Sophie*, another recruit who has experienced a similar situation and who also requested anonymity. Sophie, like Annie, does not come from a remote region.

“No group wants charity”

Positive discrimination exists to make up for a shortfall, explains Martine St-Victor, communications strategist and general manager of the firm Edelman.

The modification of the admission criteria also follows the recommendations of the report of the Advisory Committee on Police Reality, published in 2021, specified the MSP to The Press.

“In a mixed-race society like Quebec, that large-scale police services do not include any representative of visible or ethnic minorities in their ranks is inadmissible,” notes the document.

Among the many recommendations of the report, “develop and quickly implement an aggressive proactive recruitment strategy in living environments for racialized candidates”.

“In areas where inequality of opportunity has been flagrant for ages, these measures are even more necessary,” said Ms.^me St Victor. “My vision of fairness and equal opportunity means that we add chairs to the table, she adds, however. It certainly does not mean that we get out of it. »

* Fictitious first names