Michelle Welsh is looking for a few Olympic hopefuls to send to Vancouver in 2010.

Working as an RCMP Corporal, Welsh is on a recruiting mission to get officers for the national guard.

One of the possible tasks for new recruits would be policing the Olympics.

Welsh is looking for Barrie and area residents to give the job a try, but said people don’t often think about the RCMP because it isn’t the provincial force.

“In Ontario, when people think of policing, they don’t think of the federal force,” said Welsh, a proactive recruiter with the central region.

“We have 1,200 members in the province, but they’re not in the red serge uniform.”

Most people associate the RCMP with the fancy red uniforms and the fan-favourite musical ride, but Welsh said that’s only one of 150 different sections available in the RCMP.

In the past, only 500 members were hired a year, but the RCMP has increased that to 1,700 in each of the next few years.

All that’s needed to apply is you have to be an adult, a Canadian citizen, have a high school diploma and a valid driver’s licence, and be willing to relocate to anywhere in the nation. Applicants must also be physically fit.

After that, there is a series of testing procedures before someone’s accepted to the training school.

The lengthy application starts with a written exam. The aptitude test is free and if you pass, the results are valid for five years. So if you are considering a career change, take the test now and plan for the future. It’s written in Barrie every month.

The next hurdle – literally – is the physical challenge, called the Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation (PARE). It’s meant to simulate “chasing after a bad guy.”

The first part is an obstacle course, which is like a foot chase. The second part is a push/pull station, to simulate a fight. The last part is carrying a heavy load for 50 feet, which is like a rescue. By the time recruits graduate, that circuit has to be done in four minutes.

Welsh encourages people to check out the PARE course at Georgian College beforehand, so it’s not so intimidating.

“We have a fitness advisor who can help you if this is a challenge for you, and we have a high success rate.

“In general, this is the part women are nervous about. I say don’t let it prevent you from a wonderful career. It’s doable,” she said.

RCMP officers have to complete the PARE course at least every three years. “It’s one of the positive offshoots to being an RCMP officer, you have to get fit, and stay fit.”

Following an in-person interview to talk to the candidate about the career is the part makes everyone anxious – the polygraph. It is done because RCMP constables have top-secret security clearance, and are respected peace officers.

“We are one of 15 police organizations that use a polygraph. We do it to be sure it’s the right person wearing the uniform.”

The questions are on the RCMP website, and Welsh said the test is to show the applicant is being truthful.

Finally, a medical history is taken and a background check is done. Once all that is complete, the recruit can start ‘Depot’ school, in Regina. It’s 24 weeks of training.

Welsh said the typical application process takes a year, but the RCMP heard complaints about that, so it is working on speeding up the process to only three months.

Another complaint was that cadets in training weren’t being paid, and it was difficult for mature applicants to consider an RCMP career, especially with families to support. As of July, cadets are now paid $500 a week.

But cadets are still responsible for academic supplies, uniform items, athletic footwear, equipment maintenance and spending money during their stay – which is around $5,000.

After graduation, recruits can go anywhere in Canada and can get involved in specific fields.

“We help direct people to whatever field they’re interested in.”

It could be underwater location and diving, explosive disposal, police dog services, commercial crime, immigration, cold case files, collision analyst or major crime. New graduates are paired with an experienced member of the force while they learn the ropes.

After she graduated 12 years ago, Welsh went to British Columbia for nine years. She is now back in Ontario, an Orillia native and a graduate from Georgian College. She said it’s a good career – being a federal government job – with good benefits and flexible hours.

The next RCMP recruitment presentation is Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. at Georgian College in room K325. For more information about recruitment, call 1-877-888-0433 or click the link provided.

Janis Ramsay jramsay@simcoe.com