Nine Richmond students were set to leave Tuesday for the 17th Annual Lower Mainland RCMP Youth Academy at camp Stillwood in Chilliwack.
The program, which began in 1996, is designed for senior high school students interested in pursuing a law enforcement career.
Each year, the course invites 50 students, from Burnaby, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, Surrey and Richmond, to take part in an eight-day simulated RCMP training environment, which includes role-playing scenarios that police officers encounter everyday.
The students had to complete a rigorous selection process to be selected to attend the police academy, where they will experience a variety of activities that an RCMP cadet would experience at the Depot Training facility in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The local candidates had to take part in a physical test, which involved running 2.4 kilometers in less than 12 minutes, performing a minimum of 15 push ups in one minute and a minimum of 30 sit ups in one minute.
The Richmond teens are said to be in for a rewarding, but grueling schedule.
They will be on the go from 5: 30 a.m. to lights out at 10: 30 p.m. every day.
The eight-day itinerary is split into three parts - PT (physical training), drill and police theory.
Students also get the opportunity to observe scenarios, including mock demonstrations of domestic violence, break and enters, traffic violations, arrests, searches and even a mock court.
The cost per student was $750, which covers their uniform, meals, lodging and stationary.
In a 2001 study, the RCMP found that 80 per cent of candidates who attended the youth academy in the mid 1990s pursued a career in law enforcement or in related occupations.
mhopkins@richmond-news.com
