Police in Alberta are asking students to create an arresting marketing campaign to lure new candidates into careers in law enforcement.
A province-wide competition was unveiled Monday at the University of Alberta School of Business in Edmonton and at the University of Calgary.
It will see marketing students from six colleges and universities compete to attract 18 to 30-year-olds in a three-year campaign.
Calgary Police chief Rick Hanson said many people in that age group believe there isn’t a place for them in policing.
The program is dubbed Recruiting Alberta Police and is being backed by a $1.27-million cash injection from the provincial government.
“We think the best way to communicate with students is to have them reach out to each other,” said Rob Anderson, parliamentary assistant for Solicitor General Fred Lindsay.
“We have to do everything in our power to address the troubling crime trends we’re seeing.”
Edmonton police chief Mike Boyd said the strategy has not been used anywhere in Canada before.
