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Police launch drive for new recruits HOWARD MOZEL Special to The IFP While Recruitment Officer Const. Julie Craddock is adept at extolling the virtues of the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) by explaining the myriad pluses associated with the organization, it's the genuine enthusiasm with which she does so that ultimately sells this career path. The daughter of a police officer who boasts many other law enforcement professionals in her extended family, Craddock makes no bones about how much she loves what she does and how fulfilling it will also be for the right applicants. That said, she quickly points out that the HRPS does not subscribe to a "cookie cutter" approach to hiring, but is committed to diversity in the truest sense of the word among candidates. This means that-- given the expansive range of tasks, challenges and opportunities open to officers within the HRPS-- an equally wide spectrum of individuals is being actively encouraged to apply. They include, but are not limited to, people of different ages, genders, races and languages and those who bring varied educational backgrounds and life experience to the job-- including foreign-trained officers. For that reason, says Media Relations Officer Sgt. Peter Payne, potential applicants should never rule themselves out of contention and let HRPS determine how their attributes can best be utilized. "It's all added-value," said Payne. What might come as a surprise to people, adds Craddock, is that no prior law enforcement education or related work experience is required to apply. Although this will be taken into account, of course, the selection process places a premium on a demonstrated ability to learn-- hence any post-secondary achievement is a definite plus and an indicator that they'll flourish in the on-the-job training environment of policing. "We need to see they can learn new things and adapt," said Craddock, explaining that new officers are called "Constable Generalists." "The learning never stops." Adds Payne: "There are so many things we do daily." Ginger(ly) making the jump Timur Leckebusch, owner of Halton Place, takes Halton Place Ginger through the course at the Canadian Country Classic horse show at Halton Place, located on 15 Sideroad. The two-week show saw horses competing from all over Ontario. For more photos see page 10 and see results page 26. Photo by Ted Brown