MP Training is pretty good and is routinely updated and revised to remain in tune with current issues, laws and comparable standards with other police services. The MPs are competing for college grad recruits too. I can attest to this from my own experiences during six months at the Canadian Forces Military Police Academy (CFMPA) in Borden, Ontario.
The MP training, they drill it in to you over and over-train, assess and a practical evaluation (where applicable), and do it again. Once you graduate, you have an idea of what's going on and are trained to handle what might come your way. At Grad, I was impressed with what we got, looking back on it.
The Mounties have 5 months at Depot; the MPs get 6, but we also have to learn certain military statutes and regs that civvy services just don't need to learn, so in the long run, I think it works out comparably. Civvy forces generally have time at the Regional Academy, like Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Ont, coupled with in-service training, it usually works out to 6 months of school and 6 months to 12 months of coaching on the road with an FTO.
What's it like to be an MP? It's regular cop stuff in the Patrol Sections. Shift work, calls, most routine-some kinda hairy, like domestics, handling things like noise complaints, traffic accidents, interacting with the public on patrol and doing traffic enforcement. I guess to get an idea, it's like policing for a small town, but the MP trade has a few extras. The Field Units, Peacekeeping Tours, Invest, Detention Barracks, foreign work. There's a lot of places to go in the trade, just like a civvy service.
Additionally, the average police recruit for a civilian agency is 28-32 years of age. That recruit, statistically, has applied to 7 agencies before he is hired (an Ontario statistic). If you are younger than that, give the MPs a serious look. They have no problem hiring younger recruits, and the military service on your resume makes you hot property if you don't want to be a 25 year MP, maybe you only want to sign on for a three or six year hitch. They don't necessarily want you to sign on forever (currently it's three years, minimum), but if you do sign on, do it with the firm intent to give it all you've got for the duration of your time in the trade.
The Military Police have a different way of evaluating potential recruits, you don't just apply and get an interview. They hold regular screenings and the process is intensive over a three day period. It's pretty in-depth and I was impressed. I'd applied to three agencies at that time, the Military Police was my fourth and it was the only agency where the Chief showed up to meet and talk to the applicants. Yeah, the Provost Marshal showed up at an applicant screening. She wanted to see who was there and answer questions direct to the applicants. That's unheard of at civilian agencies and it impressed me.
I hope I've helped you in making a more informed decision. Like any job, a lot of what you get out of it is what you put into it.
PlatoonWatchdog
1 MP Platoon
Edmonton Garrison
