Student Blog Series #2 – An Englishman Abroad

February 17, 2011

Bob is a friend of mine who used to live in the UK working as a police officer. He met and married a sweet girl from Alberta at a soccer match in Liverpool of all places. In spite of the fact Liverpool is a fun city the pair of them decided to move back to Canada, but Bob was still keen to work as a police officer.

This is when he came to me for some advice.

He asked me whether as an Englishman he would be able to join the Canadian police. I checked it out for him and broke the news to him gently. Well actually I teased him a little first and said he would have to sit in quarantine for six months before he even got released in to the country.

After he called me a few not so complimentary names, I told him the truth.
I said: “Bob my friend. The Calgary Police Service will welcome you with open arms. Why don’t you try them?” As luck would have it they were actively seeking British officers back then in 2006. I guess timing is all important in life and Bob’s couldn’t have been better. He and 12 others from England joined the CPS around about the same time.

Bob and his wife couldn’t be happier and now have a beautiful baby girl. I went to see them in the summer and Bob told me that he preferred not just the lifestyle but also his work with the police in Canada. He knows he is lucky though because not so many states are taking British officers into their police services now. I gather it is still possible though in some cities.