Farm kids make good policemen, says RCMP Corporal Cory Lepine, and he might be promoting a police career to a 4-H club near you.
“When I was a kid growing up, all of the Mounted Police I knew were big Prairie farm boys and they had a different mannerism and a way of dealing with people,” Lepine told the December 5 annual general meeting of the North Okanagan Livestock Association.
Lepine, who recently returned as the provincial livestock investigator, now heads up recruiting in BC for the force.
“We got away from that, and I think we realize as an organization that there is an opportunity to reach into some of the groups that we deal with for people with a little more common sense and some of those abilities that translate well into police work,” he says.
Lepine says he has been attending a lot of 4-H functions in a recruiting capacity.
“The reason is we find that kids in agriculture with a 4-H background have some of those qualities that transfer well to being a policeman,” he says. “They have the ability to speak and converse with people, they can start a project and see it to the end, they are hard-working. All those are attributes that make a good policemen, if they choose to do so.”
Lepine invites 4-H clubs to contact him if they want him to share the career opportunities available.
“If anyone is involved in a 4-H club, please reach out to me. I’m happy to come do a presentation, speak to the kids,” he says. “We are hiring right now, just like everyone else in the world. If you know of anyone who would make a good policeman, let me know.”
While the work isn’t easy, Lepine says it’s rewarding.
“It’s a good job; it’s not an easy job. I’ve had my moments in my 21 years,” Lepine admits. “But it is rewarding. I’ve got no complaints.”
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