The EPS Training Development and Recruiting Division will present 2023 statistics in a Recruiting and Attrition Report to the Edmonton Police Commission later this week. The good news: recruiting numbers are rising for the Edmonton Police Service. The better news: attrition numbers are on a downward trajectory.

What does this mean for EPS?

Overall, for 2023, attrition—both sworn and civilian—was down by 12.4% in comparison to 2022.

Attrition compares the number of employees who leave the organization versus the number of new recruits and new hires coming in.

“We’re definitely on an upswing. We have increased our numbers to 630 applicants for 2023 which is significant. That’s about 200 more than the previous year,” says Superintendent Andria Wasylyshen of the Training Development and Recruiting Division. “Right now, we are ahead of attrition so that’s a huge win for the EPS.”

Police Services across North America struggled with recruitment and retention during a couple of very challenging years in 2020 and 2021. However, the numbers are showing that efforts to adapt and update programing are working.

EPS reinstated its Experienced Police Officer Hire program and introduced a referral program that brought in 14 new officers in the last year alone. And EPS upped recruit classes from 30 to 50 sworn members and revisited training and application processes would-be recruits go through.

“I think a number of things have changed. We have really focused on helping our applicants through the different steps that are mandated through the province, like our fitness test. It breaks it down so that it’s not so intimidating to them,” says Supt. Wasylyshen.

Increase in Recruit Class success rate and added diversity.

Recruit classes are seeing a 93% success rate in the most recent classes which tells Supt. Wasylyshen the EPS is hiring the right people for the right reasons.

The average percentage of diverse candidates in each recruit class is sitting at about 58% which Supt. Wasylyshen also says is a huge win.

Looking ahead.

For 2024, EPS is forecasting another increase to the sworn member head count and has already hired 50 new sworn members and four experienced officers.

“The pendulum has swung in my opinion. I think it was at one point quite a low I do think that now we are rebounding from that, and things are improving, and I think we’re starting to see that,” says Supt. Wasylyshen.

Learn more about the recruitment application process and programs over on Joineps.ca.