New police recruit graduating class one of the largest [Video]

Forty-eight new Edmonton police recruits graduated Friday. Class 160 is one of the largest classes EPS has had.

Edmonton police said they are getting a lot of applicants and are hiring more to “meet the demands and the staffing issues that we’re facing.”

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“We have been approved and are being encouraged to train more recruits,” EPS Staff Sgt. Travis Kerr said.

“We definitely need more people, there’s no question, the city’s growing, it’s getting busier.”

Along with larger class sizes, the recruits are coming from more diverse backgrounds, according to Kerr.

“We’re getting recruits that are born in other countries, not just within different parts of Canada, but different parts of the world,” Kerr said.

“I’ve been working in this area for almost two years, five graduations now, and it never ceases to amaze me …