Winnipeg Police Service

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Winnipeg Police Service is the police force of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

1 Administration
2 Organization
3 Recruitment
4 History
5 Photos
6 References

[edit] Administration

The Winnipeg Police Service is headed by the Chief of Police, Jack Ewatski.

The service has over 1200 officers as well as over 300 civilian workers.

A marked WPS cruiser

[edit] Organization

The city is Divided into 6 districts:

District 1 - Central
District 2 - West
District 3 - North
District 4 - Northeast
District 5 - Southeast
District 6 - South

The WPS is made up of several divisions/units:

Bicycle Unit
Canine Unit
Traffic Unit
Pawn Section
Photo Enforcement Unit
River Patrol Unit
Victim Services Unit
Division 41

The Winnipeg Police Service also has an Emergency Response Unit (SWAT team), made up of officers trained for special circumstances; like hostage situations.

Division 41 is an amalgamation of the Sex Crimes Unit, Missing Persons Unit, Vulnerable Persons Unit, Child Abuse Unit, High Risk Offenders Unit, and the Integrated Child Exploitation Unit ("ICE")

[edit] Recruitment

To become a police officer, there are several requirements:

You must be at least 18 years of age. There is no maximum age restriction.
You must be able to complete a "Police Officer's Physical Aptitude Test", more commonly known as a POPAT.
You must possess the following qualities:
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Maturity
- Ability to learn
- Work ethic
- Ability to communicate
- Ability to make decisions
- Ability to function under stress
- Life Experience
- Discipline
- Dedication
- Responsibility
- Teamwork

The recruit training course is 37 weeks long. The cost of training a police officer is significant to the Winnipeg Police, but the recruit does not pay for any of it. The minimum passing mark is 65%. After successfully passing the training course, the recruit is assigned to a division with a Field Training Officer (FTO), where he/she will carry out the services needed. During this phase of training, progress reports are sent to the Training Department. All the skills that have been learned earlier in training will be required. After the training process is finished, the recruit is considered an employee and member of the Winnipeg Police Service. During the entire training process, each recruit is payed the standard 4th class constable's salary.

Each member must serve at least 5 years as a general patrol officer. After 5 years, the officer is eligible to apply for specialty divisions.

[edit] History

When Winnipeg was granted the status of being a "city", an election was held to select the city's new Mayor and Aldermen. These gentlemen decided to hire city officials, including a Chief Constable. On February 23, 1874, John S. Ingram was appointed the first Chief of Police for the City of Winnipeg.

During the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, most of the force was replaced with 2000 better paid special constables for refusing to sign a declaration promising to not belong to a union or participate in a sympathy strike, even though they remained on duty during the strike. The union was thus broken, and Chris H. Newton became the acting Chief Constable.

In 1972, neighboring communities officially merged with Winnipeg, causing the amalgamation of several police forces.