Protecting Ontarians by Training More Police

Our govt is addressing the rise in crime by getting more boots on the ground. New changes to recruiting systems will increase the number and size of classes while removing application barriers.

The Ontario government is making it easier for police services across the province to recruit and train more police officers by removing tuition fees for the Basic Constable Training program at the Ontario Police College (OPC) and immediately expanding the number of recruits that can be trained each year.

Starting in 2024, the Basic Constable Training program will also be expanded to four cohorts per year instead of three. Ontario’s new measures compliment other recent enhancements in Basic Constable Training at the OPC. Earlier this year, the duration of the training program was expanded from 60 to 66 days to accommodate immediate rapid deployment and active attacker and mental health response training for individuals in crisis. The college’s mental health response training for individuals in crisis provides police officers with the skills they need to work with on-the-ground supports such as mobile crisis response teams.

Quick Facts

• Under the Police Services Act, municipal police recruits in Ontario are required to complete the Basic Constable Training (BCT) program within six months of being hired.
• Ontario Provincial Police and Indigenous Police Services recruits also complete the BCT at the Ontario Police College.
• Legislation proposing to eliminate the post-secondary education requirement to become a police officer, as set out in the Community Safety and Policing Act 2019 (CSPA), is expected to be introduced later today along with several amendments required to bring the CSPA into force. If passed, the Bill would amend the CSPA to provide that a secondary school diploma or equivalent is sufficient education for the purposes of being appointed as a police officer. This change, if passed, would come into effect when the CSPA comes into force.
• BCT courses cover a variety of topics, including federal/provincial/traffic law, human rights, diversity and professional practice, leadership, ethics, mental health for first responders and for people in crisis, physical wellness and fitness for duty, community safety, defensive tactics, use of force and de-escalation techniques, firearms, and officer safety.
• The Ontario Police College is continually reviewing and modernizing its curriculum, programming, and training to address current needs, trends, and best practices.