From What can you do with a degree in psychology?

Contents 1 Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer (Dakota Maruzin) 1.1 General Overview 1.2 Job duties and responsibilities 1.3 Typical workday 1.4 Educational requirements and other qualifications 1.5 Related skills, interests, and abilities 1.6 Relevance of Psychology undergraduate degree 1.7 Salary potential 1.8 Job outlook 1.9 To know more 1.10 Notes and References

[edit] Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer (Dakota Maruzin)

[edit] General Overview

The RCMP is the national police service of Canada. Unique to the world, the RCMP is a federal, provincial, and municipal police force. The RCMP provides police services to all Canadians, and community policing under contract to the three territories and eight provinces, excluding Ontario and Quebec. The RCMP operates out of more than 750 detachments, including more than 150 municipalities and over 600 Aboriginal communities and three international airports^[1]. A police officer of the RCMP ensures the safety and security of those in the community. Officers are responsible for enforcing the law and investigating crimes, and are role models and leaders who provide guidance to people from all walks of life.

[edit] Job duties and responsibilities

As a police officer with the RCMP, duties and responsibilities include ensuring public safety and security, enforcing the law, and conducting crime investigations. Ensuring public safety and security results from emergency responding and assistance to victims. It is also a duty to uphold police-community relations and multiculturalism through community awareness and relations. Apprehension of criminals, response to alarms, disputes, and complaints, patrols, and enforcement of highway and traffic laws are all the duties involved in enforcing the law. For investigations, evidence collection at crime scenes, interviews of suspects and witnesses, collection of notes and reports, and testifying in court are all duties involved for an officer of the RCMP^[2].

[edit] Typical workday

Policing is a 24-hour-per-day necessity therefore shift work is required. This can consist of shifts during the night, evenings, weekends, and holidays ^[2]. These shifts can vary from 8 – 12 hours. During the shift, it is required that all duties and responsibilities are completed with the upmost efficiency. Officers are expected to carry a firearm and use it or any other force necessary to restore order and safety, and because every day is unique, officers may be exposed to trauma, violence and disturbing situations.

[edit] Educational requirements and other qualifications

To be an RCMP officer, you must: be a Canadian citizen or have full Canadian citizenship, be proficient in English or French, possess a valid, unrestricted driver’s license, possess a Canadian secondary school diploma or equivalent, meet health and psychological standards, meet vision standards, meet hearing standards, have access to a dentist, meet the necessary level of physical fitness, be prepared to carry a firearm and use it or any other necessary physical force, be willing to relocate to anywhere in Canada, be willing to spend six months at the RCMP training academy in Saskatchewan, be willing to work shift work, be free and clear of any illegal activity and have no criminal charges pending, be free of improper use of prescription or illegal drugs, and lastly be of good character and meet behaviour standards ^[3].

[edit] Related skills, interests, and abilities

Officers are required to have competencies of integrity, honesty, professionalism, compassion, respect, accountability, problem solving, leadership, thinking skills, client-centered service, personal effectiveness and flexibility, planning and organizing, interpersonal skills, communication, and continuous learning ^[4].

[edit] Relevance of Psychology undergraduate degree

RCMP requirements state that only a High school diploma or equivalent is necessary, however post secondary education, particularly in Psychology can be extremely beneficial. Courses in psychology educate on topics about human behaviour and how and why we do things; this is invaluable in a career as a police officer. Courses in social psychology, cognition, abnormal psychology, and of course forensic psychology can be very beneficial. Social psychology can give a basis on what people generally do and the biases that are most common regarding our beliefs. Cognition courses provide an overview on the abilities and limitations of the human brain. This can become especially important when using police discretion about a particular crime that was committed. For example, if a youth committed a misdemeanor while with a group of peers, this individual is likely at low risk of committing a future crime. Abnormal psychology is extremely important for highlighting prevalence of mental illness in the population, which every police officer should be aware when approaching a call to a disturbance or crime. Forensic psychology is essential to understand not only antisocial behaviour of criminals, but also behaviour of fellow police officers and the inner workings of the legal system and the perceptions of the public.

[edit] Salary potential

After successfully completing the Cadet Training Program and being offered employment, the Constable entry annual salary is $50,624. After six months service annual salary will increase to $65,840. After 12 months service salary will increase to $71,435, after 24 months to $77,032, and after 36 months service to $82,108^[5].

[edit] Job outlook

Hiring opportunities stem from the need to replace retiring police officers. Because police officers usually retire at an earlier age than the average worker, the rate of hire should match that. Unemployment rates are very low in this occupation. The occupation attracts many candidates, however, only a portion meet the requirements and of those that do, a minority can work because of quotas. But because this is field is a necessity for society, job prospects in this occupation are deemed fair ^[6].

[edit] To know more

Please visit:

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/recruiting-recrutement/index.shtm http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/6261.shtml

--Dm10rg 16:04, 24 March 2015 (UTC)

[edit] Notes and References

1. ↑ "About the RCMP” January 28, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015 from http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/about-ausujet/index-eng.htm
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} “Police officer careers” Rcmp-grc.gc.ca. September 25, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2015 from http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/recruiting-recrutement/rm-mr/rm-mr-eng.htm
3. ↑ “Qualifications and requirements” October 24, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2015 from http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/recruiting-recrutement/rec/requirements-exigences-eng.htm.
4. ↑ “Mission, vision, ad values” April 27, 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2015 from http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/about-ausujet/mission-eng.htm.
5. ↑ “Salary and benefits” October 20, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2015 from http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/recruiting-recrutement/rm-mr/salary-avantages-eng.htm
6. ↑ “Police Officers” September 3, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2015 from http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/6261.shtml.