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At the Mass Casualty Commission in Nova Scotia last week – a wide-ranging review of the killing of 22 people in the province two years ago – the question of police training arose during a roundtable discussion.

The commission will present its final report in November, and it is using roundtables to flesh out its main work. Last Wednesday, the topic was critical incident preparedness. One of the themes was training.

Kimmo Himberg, a police veteran from Finland, was among the speakers. Mr. Himberg has run a national forensics lab and police IT systems, and he has a PhD is in analytical chemistry. The 65-year-old recently retired from a decade as rector of Finland’s Police University College.

Mr. Himberg was not there to analyze the specifics of Nova Scotia’s 2020 killing rampage. Instead, he detailed the degree of education and training it takes to become a cop in Finland.

A pause here is useful. If Canadians don’t know why this is a matter of interest to an inquiry into crime and policing, they should: The minimum standards to become a police officer in Canada are, in a word, minimal. The entry requirement for most Canadian police forces involves a no more than a high school diploma, followed by a half year of police training, focused on necessities such as using a gun and other intense situations. Critics have long questioned the overemphasis on this paramilitary-type training – but what else can one do in half a year?

Finland, in contrast, requires at least three years of university-level training at the national police college. That covers the physical basics, but the extended time provides space for theoretical content and what Mr. Himberg described as a “special emphasis on values and attitudes.” He cited data showing that this longer and deeper training contributes to his country having a police force that is among the most trusted in the world by its citizens.

Finland requires 5,400 hours of training before becoming a police officer, according to data compiled by the Institute for Criminal Justice Training Reform in the United States, which advocates for more police training in that country. Germany and the Netherlands average around 4,000 hours; Britain more than 2,000 hours. Canada calls for barely more than 1,000 hours. Only the U.S. makes us look good – as it so often does – with an average of just 650 hours of training before giving a young person a badge and a gun.

This is not a criticism of Canadian police officers: they get what training the system gives them. But that system appears to be inadequate to cover the challenges of modern policing. The inquiry in Nova Scotia has heard that most of the police who worked during those two difficult days had only the basic RCMP training. That happens at Depot in Regina. The “extensive” training lasts 26 weeks – 820 hours.

Some Canadian police forces offer more pre-job education, but most don’t. In British Columbia, training is 44 weeks. To be hired by the Vancouver Police, the equivalent of one full year of education after high school is necessary. The preferred qualifications are a postsecondary degree or diploma, and a second language.

The pay is good – and rightly so, given the dangers and stresses. In 2020, Statistics Canada reported the average police officer pay was $118,000.

The job of police officer should be considered a highly skilled trade, one that includes, like Finland, several years of intensive education – and, ideally, varied education – rather than only a short boot camp.

Look at what skilled trades involve. Want to become a qualified plumber in Ontario? You’ll need a total of 9,000 hours of training and apprenticeship. Electrician? Also 9,000 hours. Roofers need 4,000 hours. Becoming a welder takes 6,000 hours.

Training for skilled trades takes a long time because they involve difficult skills, and if an electrician or welder is untrained, injury or death can result. Policing is likewise. Trust in police is not an easy thing to win. It’s why there have also have been calls for countrywide standards, such as a national police college floated by a House of Commons committee last year.

The bottom line is Canada should better train its police officers. The job is serious and demanding. Cops need to be psychologists, social workers, diplomats and athletes, often all at once. Can high school graduates really learn all that in 26 weeks?

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