It's been 40 years since the first women officers began training for the RCMP. North Battleford's Matéa Steinborn is planning to become one of the 4,000 female members in the force and has applied to begin training when she turns 19 next summer.
Matéa was one of 32 young Canadians to attend the fourth annual youth camp at Depot, the RCMP's centralized training facility in Regina, from Aug. 11 to 15. The camp, where young people find out what it's like to be a police officer in training through activities such as drill, driver simulation training and tours of the RCMP Academy and the RCMP Heritage Centre, is part of the RCMP's recruiting efforts. Participants are selected based on academic achievement and their interest in a career in policing.
"I was always interested in becoming a cop," says Matéa.
She had considered the possibility of a career with a municipal force, but her experience at the youth camp made up her mind for her. She has already passed the aptitude test, and the application paperwork is in the works.
"My application process takes about a year," she says. "I turned 18 in July, and you have to be 19 to train."
Until it's time to head for Depot, Matéa is working in the pharmacy area of Shoppers Drug Mart in North Battleford and living at home with her parents and younger sister.
Matéa says when the possibility of going to the youth camp came up, her dad said "You're applying."
Her father is Kevin Steinborn, North Battleford's deputy fire chief. She says he's excited that she not only attended the camp, but decided to apply for training. It's something he knew she's always been interested in. He could hardly miss it because, when she was little, she laughs, if she saw an RCMP cruiser when they were out driving, she'd say, "Dad! There's a cop! Follow them!"
Throughout high school, she continued to ponder the idea of a career in policing. It was either policing, she says, or training as a psychiatric nurse like her mom, Laura Steinborn.
She didn't consider becoming a firefighter, like her dad, but her sister Kiana, who is turning 15 and is now in Grade 9, wants to follow in her father's footsteps.
Matéa says she filled out a 10-page application to attend the RCMP Youth Camp. There weren't that many requirements, she says, just that you had to be between 16 and 19. The main requirement was explaining why she wanted to attend.
"They called and said I got in," she says.
Of the 32 students to attend, she was the only one from North Battleford.
"There were six or seven of us from Saskatchewan," she says.
The attendees came from across Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. They stayed in the dorms at Depot, which has been the training academy for the national police force since 1885. All RCMP undergo their initial basic training there, with each troop of 32 cadets undergoing a 24-week program.
Cadets train in applied police sciences, defensive tactics, driving, firearms, fitness, drill and deportment and tactical.
While at the RCMP Youth Camp, says Matéa, she and her fellow camp attendees underwent some of the things cadets learn in basic training, such as self defence. They were given a realistic experience of what life at Depot would be, she says.
They also attended presentations on specialized courses, such as canine and surveillance, she says.
The RCMP has over 150 different specializations members can pursue, if they choose, after three to five years of general policing duties at the detachment level.
Matéa says she used to think she'd like to be involved in the canine division, but after seeing the presentations on the variety of specializations, she realizes there are many others she would enjoy as well.
Her first few years of general duty will help her decide what direction she might like to go if she wants to specialize.
"You have lots of options," she says.
The camp helped Matéa make the choice of RCMP over a municipal force. As a city police officer, she says, there would be no need to transfer, and one always has a partner to work with.
But now she sees the transfers as a way to see other parts of the country. The RCMP provides policing services to the three territories, eight provinces (except Ontario and Quebec), more than 150 municipalities and more than 600 aboriginal communities.
"You just have to transfer every two or three years and only a couple of times," she says. "It would be a good experience, and," she adds," better benefits."
Even though she's always wanted to be a cop, Matéa says most people wouldn't believe her when she said that's what she wanted to do, or they didn't think she could do it because her background is in dance.
"Nothing to do with wanting to become a cop," she laughs. "When I told people, they'd say, 'Oh, you can't become one, you're small and not strong.'"
She knows better. She's been dancing since she was four years old, often six days a week. She is fit.
"Dancers are strong."
Ballet, jazz and lyrical are her favourites.
She is also teaching at Dance Connection, where she trained.
"I'm teaching three and four year olds," she says.
She sees her dance background as an advantage in her choice of career. As a dancer, she says, she has learned dedication and commitment and the importance of working as a team.
"It helped a lot to be driven," says Matéa.
