REGINA — A new national advertising campaign has been launched by the Government of Saskatchewan to help attract more people to the province for careers in law enforcement.
The campaign was launched with a screening of a new commercial to be used in the campaign at the Kramer IMAX Theatre in Regina on Feb. 27. The ads use the tag line "In Saskatchewan, it all lives here," which, according to the province’s news release, is meant to highlight the values and work ethic that define the province and reflect the qualities of an exceptional law enforcement officer.
According to the province, the campaign is designed to promote the province as a place not only to build a career in policing, but also as a place to live and establish roots.
The ad campaign was created at an initial cost of approximately $250,000 and will roll out on digital and social channels over the coming weeks.
The campaign is a national one, aimed at filling a need by police services to fill various types of police positions throughout Saskatchewan. Community Safety Minister Michael Weger acknowledged the goal is to look beyond Saskatchewan’s borders for potential recruits to come to the province.
“We’ve been recruiting within the province for years and we’re just not able to fill all the spots, so what do you do? You’ve got to spread your wings and reach out to other provinces across the nation, and that’s exactly what this campaign is doing,” Weger said.
“Today is one of the easiest days I’ve ever had. I get to stand up and talk about how much I love this province and why people should come and start a policing career here, and I get to talk about the great officers and the great experience you have as a police officer in this province. I’ve seen it firsthand on the ride-alongs that I’ve done and the interactions I’ve had with police services, so I’m very optimistic about the ability to spread the word across the country and attract some very qualified candidates to our province.”
Weger said Saskatchewan offers many advantages for people looking for policing careers, including affordable living and the ability to start a family. As well, he said in Saskatchewan you “get to hit the ground running when you police in Saskatchewan.”
“You get to make a meaningful impact, you get to see that impact in the community that you live in.”
It was also acknowledged that it is increasingly becoming a competitive environment for recruiting police officers.
"Every organization across this country is competing for valuable resources,” said Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police President Patrick Nogier.
“The province of Saskatchewan is committed to stepping up that effort. So this isn’t only about identifying local talent, we’re identifying talent across this country because Saskatchewan is a great place to live and work, especially within this profession.”
Nogier said what they hope to accomplish is to have "diversity within our jurisdictions. We want to make sure that we’re bringing the best candidate to the position, and we want to make sure we don’t lower standards. So doing that we’re going to be as competitive as we can with our neighbouring provinces, and the gloves are off."
