Training
Police in Quebec
To become a police officer in Quebec you need a CÉGEP diploma (DEC) in police technology. Eleven CÉGEPs in Quebec offer this diploma in French, and John Abbott College offers it in English to students who are functionally bilingual. For a complete list of these schools, visit the l’École nationale de police du Québec website.
Once you have the DEC in police technology, you must take training at the École nationale de police du Québec. Training is only offered in French.
To be admitted to this school you must meet several criteria, including:
- You must not have been found guilty of a crime (certain exceptions apply) and you must have a driver’s license that allows you to drive an emergency vehicle (a special license for driving an ambulance, police truck, or fire truck).
- You must be strong and able to move quickly and easily.
- It’s also important to be in excellent physical condition and have good eyesight.
Once you have completed the program at l’École nationale de police du Québec, you can become a police officer in Quebec. To learn more about the admission requirements for this school, visit the l’École nationale de police du Québec website.
RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has its own requirements, which are different from Quebec police forces. For example, to become an RCMP officer you must:
- be a Canadian citizen
- be at least 19 years old
- have a high school diploma
- have a valid driver’s license
- be of good character
- be able to move anywhere in Canada for your job
RCMP candidates are required to do a 24-week training in Regina, Saskatchewan before being hired. To find out more, visit the ‘Recruitment’ section of the RCMP’s website.
To learn more about the job prospects (salary, rate of growth in the profession, etc.), for police officers in general, visit the Job Futures website.
Useful High School Courses
The following courses could help you prepare for a future as a police officer:
- Physical Education amd Health
- Science and Technology
- Mathematics
- History and Citizenship Education
- French as a Second Language
- English Language Arts
Speak to your guidance counsellor to see if there are other courses offered at your school that could help you prepare for this career.
