Thursday, February 3, 2005

Goulais River, Ont.

A sixteen-year-old Goulais River youth has been charged with trespassing after trying to cut through someone’s front yard with his snow machine. Last night at about 7 p.m. a homeowner on Highway 552 East in Goulais River discovered the operator of the snow machine got stuck trying to cut across their front yard. The driver was cutting across the property only to discover that he couldn't exit the yard on his machine because of a large ditch on one side of the property. As the youth tried to turn his machine around he became bogged down and stuck in the snow. Three occupants of the home came out and confronted the youth. The homeowners were not only concerned that the youth was driving across the front yard, but were also concern about the safety of four young children that were playing in the yard at the time. Police attended the scene and a sixteen-year-old Goulais River youth has been charged with Trespassing under the Trespass to Property Act.

ORILLIA, ON, Feb. 3 - The Ontario Provincial Police is readying itself for its third OPPBound recruitment program, scheduled to be held this summer in Orillia.

This year, OPPBound2005 is a recruitment venture aimed to increase awareness of employment opportunities in the OPP for women and men from diverse communities. The one-week camp will serve as a vehicle to provide a diverse group of women and men with an opportunity to explore a career with the Ontario Provincial Police.

In July 2003, the OPP held its first successful OPPBound that was designed to attract women to policing. In 2004, OPP Commissioner Gwen Boniface hosted OPPBound2004, which invited Aboriginal men and women to OPP General Headquarters in Orillia for the 1-week mini-recruit camp.

Participants will learn about the history and traditions of the OPP and the program will include a number of mentoring sessions with key OPP officers who will share their experiences. Participants will also have the opportunity to experience a week in the life of an OPP recruit at the Academy, taking part in firearms exercises, fitness drills, police vehicle operations and other practical exercises.

One of the goals of OPPBound is to provide an understanding around a career in policing and to encourage qualified applicants to apply to the OPP. The significant increase in the number of women hired as OPP Constables since 2003 and Aboriginal men and women hired as OPP Constables in 2004 is one measure of the success of OPPBound. Of the 100 women who attended OPPBound2003, 5 have been hired by the OPP and 17 are still in the process. Three of the Aboriginal women and men who attended OPPBound2004 have been hired and 46 are in the final stages of the process.

The application deadline for OPPBound2005 is May 9, 2005 and a total of 100 men and women from diverse communities in Ontario will be selected for the five-day mini-OPP recruit camp, being held at the Provincial Police Academy from July 10 - 14, 2005.

Men and women from diverse communities interested in taking advantage of this opportunity can obtain information and apply from the OPP website at: opp.ca or by calling the Ontario Provincial Police Uniform Recruitment Unit at 1-866-393-3337.