WANTED: Experienced cops from Mississauga, Brampton as Peel police face recruitment challenge

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Faced with “ongoing recruitment challenges”, Peel Regional Police are actively looking to other police forces for experienced officers to join their ranks.

The hiring strategy “marks a significant shift” for Ontario’s second-largest police force (Canada’s third largest), Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said, and comes in response to fewer College graduates of Ontario Police are available to augment Peel’s frontline team. -line officers every year.

Speaking at the latest Peel Police Services board meeting, both Duraiappah and Peel Deputy Chief Mark Dapat updated members on the latest in recruitment.

Dapat said the force had launched an official campaign “to recruit experienced officers from other services with the aim of addressing ongoing recruitment challenges”.

He told board members that 14 experienced officers from other forces were hired at the end of August.

Dapat noted that while recruiting experienced officers from other police agencies “is not ideal, it is often more cost-effective than training new graduates” from the police college.

Moving forward, Duraiappah said he will keep the board updated as more such hires are made.

Peel police have committed to bringing a total of about 200 new officers on board by the end of the year, Dapat said, “despite limitations in allocating seats at the Ontario Police College.”

Peel Police currently receive 55 ‘places’ for each of the four police courses each year, meaning 220 graduates are available annually to join Peel’s ranks.

Faced with an urgent need to add new officers as Mississauga and Brampton — especially the latter — continue to grow, Duraiappah said Peel police are asking the college and the province for a fifth year that would add 55 new recruits to the ranks of Peel every time. 12 months.

The police have to match Peel’s growth

The number of Ontario Police College “seats” allocated for Peel police in 2025 is not yet known, police said.

Stressing the need for additional police recruits in the coming years in Peel, Duraiappah referred to a letter from the Peel Region council outlining a “critical need to increase the number of officers to maintain effective policing in the region”.

Officials anticipate that Peel Police will need to recruit an additional 250 new officers each year (based on an estimated 10% annual growth in Peel’s population) to its 2,500 sworn officer strength to accommodate growing demands and by the police.

Not only are Peel police facing the challenge of meeting the needs of a growing population, Duraiappah added, but the force is also preparing for “a wave of retirements expected over the next five years as many officers who have been employed for 30 years are approaching of retirement age”.

Peel Police say they offer competitive wages in addition to a comprehensive medical benefits package for both sworn and civilian positions.

The annual salaries are:

• Cadet, second class – $51,741
• Cadet, first class – $56,914
• Recruit Agent – $62,088
• Constable, fourth grade – $72,436
• Constable, third class – $82,785
• Constable, second class – $93,132
• Constable, 1st Class – $111,584

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