RCMP Academy, "Depot" Division (commonly known as "Depot") has been providing police training to Royal Canadian Mounted Police "cadets" since its establishment in 1885. The facility is located in the northwest part of Regina, Saskatchewan, near the airport, and consists of several buildings.

In the RCMP's early days, "Depot" had a full horse stable and employed veterinarians. Horsemanship is no longer part of the cadets' training and the few horses still at the Academy are for ceremonial purposes only.

After the long recruitment process, successful candidates are scheduled to attend the Academy and begin the Cadet Training Program. Cadets are grouped together in what the force calls "troops". A troop consists of 30 men and women who follow their entire 24-week training together. As of 2004, 34 troops are scheduled to be trained each year with new troops starting almost every week. The number of trainees at "Depot" varies in relation to the demands of the force. Following tradition, the RCMP still has their trainees sleep in dormitories. The entire troop sleeps in one large room (with exception of female cadets, who sleep in different dorms from the men).

"Depot" is the only location where the RCMP trains its cadets. The only possible rare exceptions are Mounties trained at an Ottawa region facility in the 1950s or 1960s. At that time, due to extensive hiring, Depot could not handle the overwhelming number of candidates. Therefore, the RCMP established the additional training facility in Ontario. This training center, now closed, was located by the present Ottawa RCMP stables, where the horses of the RCMP Musical Ride are kept off-season. The buildings of the former Ottawa training center have become the Canadian Police College , a Canadian government institution which offers continuing-education courses for currently employed police officers.

In addition to training new RCMP regular members, "Depot" is also a major center for police continuing-education in Canada. It delivers updated and highly specialized training to experienced RCMP officers and to members of other forces from around the world who want to improve their knowledge.

With a heritage of over 100 years, the RCMP Academy carries a very good reputation in worldwide police training. Many Canadian municipal and provincial police forces hire police officers who graduated from the RCMP Academy. No one can join the RCMP as a regular member without completing the RCMP Academy's 24-week Cadet Training Program. Candidates who are graduates of the Ontario Police College or other such institution must undergo the complete RCMP training before transferring to the RCMP.

The RCMP Academy has altered its curriculum due to the social and economic changes of Canadian society; the school now focuses more on knowledge relating to the multiple facets of law enforcement than on military discipline. In the early 1990s, the six-month thorough military-style RCMP training was slightly modified to face the new make-up of trainees. Cadets are now 10 years older than their 1950s or 1960s counterparts; and decade after decade, the ratio of college and university-educated future Mounties keeps increasing. The higher maturity level of trainees requires fewer disciplinary actions and enables the instructors to focus on the very demanding requirements of modern police work.

External links

• The official website of the RCMP Academy, Depot Division