BARRHEAD-One of the reasons Ashish Ralh decided to join the RCMP is that there is the opportunity to travel and see the country.
However, by coming to Barrhead in his first posting, he is just a little over an hour away from where he has spent the last decade. And despite the relatively short distance between the two locations, the community is worlds away from what he is familiar with.
For the last 10 years, Ralh has lived in Edmonton, working as a correctional officer at the Remand Centre.
Before that, Toronto is where he grew up. After graduating high school, he attended Sheridan College for two years before moving on to the University of Guelph-Humber, where he received a Bachelor of Applied Science in Justice Studies.
"So I have always been interested in law enforcement," Ralh said.
Coming out west wasn't something he had planned to do, he said, adding the decision was somewhat forced upon him.
While going to college and university, Ralh made extra money by working part-time at the now-defunct Zellers department store.
"They were closing down several of their stores, but I found out that the Edmonton Remand Centre was hiring officers," he said.
For the better part of seven years, Ralh worked at the Remand Centre when he decided he wanted a change and took a job with the Alberta Sheriffs, working at the Edmonton Law Courts.
After working as a Sheriff for close to two years, Ralh decided he needed another challenge.
"What attracted me to the RCMP was there were so many different opportunities and room for advancement available," he said. "I also like the idea of mobility, as the RCMP is the largest police service in the country, serving communities from the west coast to the east coast, so I could potentially be posted anywhere."
Unfortunately, his plan to become an RCMP member temporarily delayed when the training depot shut down due to the pandemic.
At the time it shut down, Ralh had only been there a few weeks. Because the RCMP did not know when the training centre would reopen, they told the recruits to go home.
The problem for Ralh is that he did not have a place to go other than back to Toronto, as he gave up his Edmonton apartment believing that upon graduation, he would be going directly to his new community.
"Although it was nice to be able to spend some time with my family, I couldn't fully enjoy it because, in the back of my mind, I was thinking about completing my training and starting my career in the RCMP," he said.
When he returned to depot five months later, it wasn't the same place he left. Due to COVID-19 health protocols, the trainees were broken into small groups which could not intermingle. Recruits were also confined to the training facility.
"It was a bit difficult," Ralh said. "It would have been nice if we could have left the base on weekends and be able to disconnect from our training and distress."
And although the smaller groups created a different atmosphere, he said it did not impact the quality of the training.
"It was a challenge. It pushed you, tested your limits and it made sure you were the right person for a job in policing," Ralh said.
He also said he is really enjoying living in a small community for the first time in his life.
"It is a huge change from what I'm used to, but I can tell you ... I am loving it," Ralh said. "It is a much more relaxed pace. You get to know people on a first-name basis and people are friendlier."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
