Mounties feeling recruitment pinch

EDMONTON, Alberta, July 4 (UPI) -- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police says its waiting list for recruits has dried up, and is easing some requirements and adding perks for would-be Mounties.

Deputy Commissioner Rod Knecht told the Calgary Sun the list of potential Mounties has traditionally run as high as 8,000 people.

"But now we find the waiting list totally exhausted," he said.

The force has made several changes recently to address the shortage of recruits, including easing the policy of giving priority to applicants with university degrees along with a pay increase for first-class constables to $74,539 a year.

Most significant is the change in the force's 135-year-old policy of not paying cadets while they undergo 24 weeks of training.

For at least the next two years, cadets will receive $500 per week, the force announced recently.

The Sun said Alberta is now short 512 RCMP officers, but Knecht said that shortage wasn't likely to be filled in the short-term.

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