What You Should Know

Established in 2001 by Herb Stephen, retired Chief of Police for Winnipeg Police Service, the Northwest Law Enforcement Academy is designed to provide training for people seriously interested in a career in law enforcement. It is specifically tailored toward developing competent applicants to police and other law enforcement agencies.

As a registered post-secondary educational institution in Manitoba, the Academy offers an accelerated one-year program, where students learn topics such as Criminal Investigations, Criminal Law, Criminology and Restorative Justice, Police Procedures, Report Writing, Major Crimes, Organized Crime, Crime Prevention, Interrogation and Interviewing, Crime Scene Management, Firearms Safety and Police Defensive Tactics. Roughly equivalent to two and a half years of post-secondary education, students come from across Canada to attend the Northwest Academy for its high standards and documented employment success.

Not every potential applicant becomes a Northwest student. Before acceptance, applicants are screened during an interview process and background check. Once accepted into the program, Northwest students will spend 850 hours learning from professional law enforcement instructors who all have a solid background in police and law enforcement training. Students must adhere to strict rules of conduct, high standards in dress and deportment and a sound level of physical fitness. In addition to fitness training and health and nutrition coaching, students must log a minimum of 200 hours of physical training on their own while attending the academy.