From Lebanon to Protecting his Hamilton Community
From Lebanon to Protecting his Hamilton Community - Meet Hamilton Police Cadet Ali Al Ammarine
"It was a great moment; I did not expect it at all, I was getting ready for the shuttle run, and Chelsea offered me a job; it was very exciting. I had tears", said Mohawk Advanced Policing student Ali Al Ammarine.
For the first time in Mohawk College's Advanced Policing history, Ali Al Ammarine was offered a cadet position live on-site, during the shuttle run, or beep test as it has come to be known, by Hamilton Police Services.
Students in the program are challenged to compete in real-world training exercises so they can see how they would fair in police tryouts.
"We were invited to come and watch the shuttle run, which is part of police training, and when the class was finished, we surprised Ali with a job offer of a place in our cadet program. Ali had already passed other requirements to be able to be a cadet, so we felt this was the perfect opportunity to ask him to join our team", said Recruiting Officer Constable Chelsey Oakes.
Shelley Lang is the Justice Fitness Coordinator and faculty member and is constantly looking for ways to continue to make future ready students. "We need those connections with our faculty and police services for our students. Building out those relationships for our students and getting more cadets from Mohawk College on our Hamilton Police force is a terrific community partnership."
A big part of the partnership is having officers come to campus and build those relationships.
"The cadet program is a stepping stone for a sworn position. It will give them a feel for what the job entails; it is a 2-year contract for 18–25-year-old post graduates, you do physical testing and multiple interviews, and there is a lot of mentoring. Once you are hired, you get a uniform, training, work with front-line patrol, and move around to get a feel for the job; if you do well, you are usually hired into a sworn position as a police officer. A win-win, both sides ensure it is a good fit", said Constable Oakes.
And a win-win it is, cadets are really in the driver's seat as to what happens next; if they prove to the officers they are working with that you are a good fit, there is a 90 percent hiring rate.
The future is looking bright for Ali. "I came to Canada in 2016 as a refugee; I became a citizen last year, 2022, which was amazing. I knew I wanted to be a police officer; I wanted to pay back the community that gave me the opportunity, this chance. I choose to come to Mohawk to pursue my dream. "My experience has been great; I did a year and a half, then did my coop at Hamilton Police and met many great people; it has been amazing."
Recruiting, Mohawk, and our cadet program have been a great feeder system; what better way to finish your police foundations program" said Sergeant Ryan Smutnicki. "We love to come into the college for recruiting; we see students and how they interact and hold information sessions. We rely on the graduates from Mohawk College, and we honor this partnership.
Connects us all police, faculty, students, and community".
For more information on Advanced Policing and other Justice programs at Mohawk College, click the links below.
https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/programs/graduate-studies/advanced-police-studies-226
https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/programs/community-services/police-foundations-218-258
https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/programs/community-services/community-and-justice-services-286-288