Kids get exposed to life of a Mountie

The next generation of Mounties has a head start.

Kids between the ages of 10 to 12 years old got a chance to see what life is like as a Mountie during the Mini Mountie Camp held from July 13 to 14 at Meadowview Community School.

“It was two full days of activities and presentations that cover investigation, forensics and safety training,” said RCMP Const. Morroco Johnson.

More than 20 kids were treated to presentations from the RCMP canine unit, the Barrhead Fire Department and a self-defence expert. The mini-Mounties also tried their hand at an obstacle course created to resemble the one cadets would experience while in training.

“Last year, what the kids said in the survey was that they wanted a harder obstacle course,” chuckled Johnson, “so we made it harder this year and challenged them to do six laps. When it was done, most of them couldn’t get up off the floor. Now they have a sense of what it’s really like.”

The fire department rolled up to the Meadowview school on July 13, with lights flashing and sirens blaring. The firefighters got out of their truck in full equipment and gave a presentation using the Jaws of Life that had the kids brimming with excitement.

“We had a scrap car out back. They took off all four doors, they cut the windshield in half, and then they pulled the whole roof off. The kids thought that was really cool,” said Johnson.

When the mini-Mounties returned on July 14, they were given hands-on exposure to the science of forensics, followed by a treasure hunt that required the kids to locate evidence.

“They were treated to a forensics presentation that touched on fingerprinting, photographs, footprints, shoeprints and all that stuff,” said Johnson.

The kids were also treated to a presentation given by Director of Ambulance Services Trevor Trefanenko.

A mock crime scene was set up for kids where they were able to put into practise many of the investigation techniques they’d learned through the presentations.

“We taught the kids how to do an investigation, how to use their notebooks and what kinds of things to look for,” said Johnson.

The mock crime scene was divided into three stations. The first station was a shed on fire, the second was a motor-vehicle collision and the third was an ambulance worker who was at a hospital.

“The kids had to go out to the call and get a statement from the farmer and a fire report. For the collision, there were two vehicles that collided into each other. The kids went out and got a whole bunch of statements from witnesses for the collision investigator’s report, and they had to reconstruct the collision using toy cars and laminate board. At the hospital, the kids collected the motor-vehicle collision statement and the hospital report form,” said Johnson.

One of the primary reasons for the Mini Mountie Camp is giving the kids exposure to the career.

“When we got the surveys back last year, the kids said they thought it was like school, but it was fun. Other kids also said that instead of just doing fun activities, they’ve also learned something. They thought that was pretty cool,” said Johnson.

Last year, the camp had 27 aspiring mini-Mounties at the two-day camp. This year, 27 youth had registered, but some couldn’t make it due to illness.

“I’ve had a lot of fun here at camp. I’ve learned a lot of what it’s like to be a police officer. My favourite thing was when the dogs came and they did some cool tricks. I’d love to be a Mountie when I grow up,” said mini-Mountie Winston Helmus.

A big part of the Mini Mountie Camp is to bridge the gap between the younger generation and police.

“We want them to feel comfortable around police officers, so if they have a problem they won’t be scared to talk to us. Without the generous support of the Rural Crime Watch, we couldn’t have done this. A big thank you goes out to them for funding the camp,” said Johnson.