UK Police Officer to Canada

[SammyAlbatross]

firstly, I am aware that no Canadian Force takes transfers from the U.K. any longer and I am in the very early stages of applying for PR and then applying for a force as a new recruit. I have been in the Police in the U.K. for 10 years and am a Sergeant currently.

I wondered if anyone here has done or is doing the same thing. I have a wife and two children who will be coming over with me and we have a fair amount of savings which will be freed up when we sell our house in the U.K. and sufficient savings to satisfy the proof of funds.

There are clearly lots of forces to potentially apply to in Canada. We have family in Ontario so my thinking currently is to apply to the OPP. If we go elsewhere then Edmonton seems quite good at facilitating condensed application processes for out of province applications so it could be completed during one trip rather than going back and forth.

We would not move to Canada full-time until a job is sorted, I am not wedded to the Police as a career in Canada so would do something else if it was suitable. I have a BA and a Masters in Business.

I was wondering if anyone else has been down this path already and might have some tips to share.

Thanks.

 

[pride90]

firstly, I am aware that no Canadian Force takes transfers from the U.K. any longer and I am in the very early stages of applying for PR and then applying for a force as a new recruit. I have been in the Police in the U.K. for 10 years and am a Sergeant currently.

I wondered if anyone here has done or is doing the same thing. I have a wife and two children who will be coming over with me and we have a fair amount of savings which will be freed up when we sell our house in the U.K. and sufficient savings to satisfy the proof of funds.

There are clearly lots of forces to potentially apply to in Canada. We have family in Ontario so my thinking currently is to apply to the OPP. If we go elsewhere then Edmonton seems quite good at facilitating condensed application processes for out of province applications so it could be completed during one trip rather than going back and forth.

We would not move to Canada full-time until a job is sorted, I am not wedded to the Police as a career in Canada so would do something else if it was suitable. I have a BA and a Masters in Business.

I was wondering if anyone else has been down this path already and might have some tips to share.

Thanks.

I know of a friend who is a former Zimbabwean Police officer who migrated to Canada last year. However, the process was longer for him due to clearances that he had to go through.

 

[canuck78]

Getting into the police force is usually quite competitive especially in urban centres partially due to the very good income and retirement packages (no judgement just a fact). Might be easier to get a spot in the RCMP or other forces that cover more rural areas. I know I have a family member that took them 5 years to get into the police force even though he was doing everything possible. There seems to be quite a few hiring freezes in the larger centres. You will really have to look at the individual forces and whether they are hiring. I know with the RCMP you are often required to go to some pretty remote locations until you get seniority.

 

[zardoz]

Getting into the police force is usually quite competitive especially in urban centres partially due to the very good income and retirement packages (no judgement just a fact). Might be easier to get a spot in the RCMP or other forces that cover more rural areas. I know I have a family member that took them 5 years to get into the police force even though he was doing everything possible. There seems to be quite a few hiring freezes in the larger centres. You will really have to look at the individual forces and whether they are hiring. I know with the RCMP you are often required to go to some pretty remote locations until you get seniority.

RCMP requires citizenship. OPP also may shunt you off to the "backend of nowhere", as long as it's in Ontario. Bearing in mind that Ontario is bigger than the UK, that's a lot of distance.

 

[canuck78]

In general would probably look outside Ontario and Quebec if you don't speak French.

 

[SammyAlbatross]

Canuck, what makes you say that? There is nothing on the minimum requirements to say that being a French speaker is necessary to apply in Ontario. I can see how it might help, in the same way that knowing any language could help but I am Under the impression that not speaking it is not a major impediment to working there.

In terms of how competitive it is to join up, anecdotally I think that the competition in the U.K. is as high if not higher for the available positions so I don’t find it too overwhelming, but fully expect it to be a challenge- just like joining up was originally!

 

[canuck78]

Think police officers make more money than in the UK and usually have a university degree which is one of the reasons it is so competitive. I said French in Quebec. If you live in Ottawa French may not be required but will be a skill that will get you hired over another candidate.

 

[zardoz]

You might want to consider the possibility of joining a regional force instead. This would give you greater stability with regard to your location.

 

[SammyAlbatross]

Think police officers make more money than in the UK and usually have a university degree which is one of the reasons it is so competitive. I said French in Quebec. If you live in Ottawa French may not be required but will be a skill that will get you hired over another candidate.

Hi Canuck, I understand what you meant now. The punctuation made it appear that the French comment applied to both. It is a requirement to get in the Police in the U.K. to have a degree as well, but they are paid more certainly.

 

[SammyAlbatross]

You might want to consider the possibility of joining a regional force instead. This would give you greater stability with regard to your location.

That sounds sensible. I will start taking a look at some of the regional forces. Thanks.

 

[Bornlucky]

firstly, I am aware that no Canadian Force takes transfers from the U.K. any longer and I am in the very early stages of applying for PR and then applying for a force as a new recruit. I have been in the Police in the U.K. for 10 years and am a Sergeant currently.

I wondered if anyone here has done or is doing the same thing. I have a wife and two children who will be coming over with me and we have a fair amount of savings which will be freed up when we sell our house in the U.K. and sufficient savings to satisfy the proof of funds.

There are clearly lots of forces to potentially apply to in Canada. We have family in Ontario so my thinking currently is to apply to the OPP. If we go elsewhere then Edmonton seems quite good at facilitating condensed application processes for out of province applications so it could be completed during one trip rather than going back and forth.

We would not move to Canada full-time until a job is sorted, I am not wedded to the Police as a career in Canada so would do something else if it was suitable. I have a BA and a Masters in Business.

I was wondering if anyone else has been down this path already and might have some tips to share.

Thanks.

There are municipal forces that you might consider - Abbotsford, Vancouver and Victoria are my suggestions. I have lived all over Canada and you have got to consider the winters. Do yourself and your kin a favour and think about British Columbia in order to avoid snowbound cabin fever for months on end. Best of luck, and I have personally seen exceptions to hiring citizens over permanent residents when the need is there so don't be discouraged.

 

[canuck78]

The winters are not that bad in the rest of Canada. You are also suggesting the most expensive places to live and where there may be a lot of competition to join the police force. I wouldn't rule out any province that makes sense. I assume you will have to take into account employment prospects for your spouse. You can always move after you have gotten some Canadian polcing experience after a couple of years. The important thing is to get into the door and gain Canadian experience. The weather in the UK isn't really something people envy. Would take a sunny winter day over damp and dreary weather all the time. The weather in many areas of Canada is manageable if you dress appropriately. Best of luck.

 

[Bornlucky]

The winters are not that bad in the rest of Canada. You are also suggesting the most expensive places to live and where there may be a lot of competition to join the police force. I wouldn't rule out any province that makes sense. I assume you will have to take into account employment prospects for your spouse. You can always move after you have gotten some Canadian polcing experience after a couple of years. The important thing is to get into the door and gain Canadian experience. The weather in the UK isn't really something people envy. Would take a sunny winter day over damp and dreary weather all the time. The weather in many areas of Canada is manageable if you dress appropriately. Best of luck.

Yes, well - suit yourself but having lived in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia you can have the winters east of the Rockies and you are downplaying the winters is not a accurate assessment of 40 below. The "sunny winter day" theory is often mentioned in the prairies - it is the only appeal to those winters.