Annemarie Henry Has Seen Changes In Toronto Police

For 26 years, Annemarie Henry has been with the Toronto Police. She is a Civilian Senior Officer—a polite term for “a civilian member in a senior management role. It is the equivalent of the uniform positions.” Over the years, she has seen changes that she believes have improved the Toronto Police.

Constable James Wong, Employment Manager Annmarie Henry, Sergeant Chris Gordon, and Constable Joe Lee at a Toronto Police Service recruitment display.

Constable James Wong, Employment Manager Annmarie Henry, Sergeant Chris Gordon, and Constable Joe Lee at a Toronto Police Service recruitment display.

“When I started with the Service, the Service was not very reflective of its community and it was difficult for women and minorities to have movement within the Service. Many changes have occurred where the Service has looked at its approaches and policies and has made a lot of changes to expand on its diversity and its inclusion initiatives. The Service is now much more reflective of the community, and it continues to improve. More senior positions are now held by women and minority Service members.”

Anne Marie’s career has taken her through levels of policing. She is now a Unit Commander which has several key responsibilities.

1. The Unit Commander is responsible for ensuring that members adhere to the Service’s core values, and that they uphold and enforce the Service mandate, goals and respective unit priorities.

2. The Employment Unit is responsible for the hiring of all civilian and uniform members of the Service. The Unit has to ensure that our hiring is fair, equitable and transparent.

3. The Employment Unit has three sections, civilian recruiting , uniform recruiting and background investigations. Through recruiting, we are able to engage various communities by providing information, mentoring and guidance to potential candidates for vacant positions within the Service. We try to focus on areas within the community that are not well-represented within the Service.”

There is representation for all minorities working for the Toronto Police. They are also looking to expand, and are currently looking for more Indigenous recruits to fill their ranks.

A career with the Toronto Police could be very gratifying. It is a high calling that demands a total commitment to meet the grade. Post Secondary education would be advisable.

“The Toronto Police Service is actively looking to recruit members from the indigenous community as representation from this community is disproportionate within the Service. For students that are interested in policing, I would encourage them to engage with our recruiters, as our recruiters can mentor them and provide all the information required in order for the student to successfully attain a uniform or civilian position within the Service. They are encouraged to come out to the information sessions that are put on by the Employment Unit’s recruiting section. Our processes at Toronto Police are very completive, so more education is always better post-secondary education is almost becoming a standard.”