Aboriginal and Diversity Policing

The first thing David Wojcik did after taking over the Aboriginal and Diversity Policing Services in Nova Scotia was to meet with the curator of the Nova Scotia Black Cultural Centre and Museum. "I told him that I had little or no knowledge of the province's Black history," David recalls, "but I gave him my word that I would do all I could to change that."

That was in 2001. A year-and-a-half later, David says he's still learning. Only now, in addition to reaching out to the province's many Black communities, he attends—and is often asked to speak at—different cultural events. He also regularly attends prayer services at area mosques and meets as often as he can with Aboriginal leaders and communities.

Along the way, he's won over a number of skeptics, both in the community and on the force. "Initially, a lot of people weren't pleased to see another white guy take over the Unit," he says. "But, thanks to the three years I spent at Justice, I was familiar with a lot of the issues. And I truly believed I had the skills to help us reach out to Visible Minorities in the community and on the police force." As a result, he says, there's consensus among Unit members that anyone would be acceptable as a Unit Head—as long as that person could do the job.

One of the first things the Unit did under David's leadership was organize an event to honour Black RCMP officers serving in Nova Scotia and officers from Nova Scotia serving elsewhere. Some 50 Black men and women officers, as well as the RCMP Commissioner and the province's Lieutenant Governor, attended "Spirit of Unity."

The success of that event really got the ball rolling, says David. "We decided almost immediately to approach the Treasury Board Secretariat about financing a program to help the RCMP attract more Visible Minorities." That program has been a resounding success, he says. "We expect 20 to complete the nine-month program." When they do, the number of Visible Minority officers in the RCMP will increase. Those who do not wish to pursue a career with the RCMP will be assisted in finding employment elsewhere in the federal family.

The next step, says David, is to reach out to other Visible Minorities in the community. "We have to put Visible Minorities who are already RCMP members in front of young people," he says. "We need to send a message that 'you can be one of us' and that we want them to be one of us." And the message is being heard—relationships between the Black community and the police have improved.

Equally important is moving Visible Minorities through the organization nationally, doing whatever is necessary to ensure that they have every opportunity to move ahead. "Finally," says David, "we have to do more to get Visible Minorities into the recruitment process. Many Visible Minorities don't think the RCMP is for them. We have to show them that it is."

In the meantime, David is keeping his promise to the museum curator. "I'm still learning," he says, "and I'm going to keep right on learning."

Originally published in Embracing Change, Leading the Way