Two new police training sites have been approved in Vancouver and Victoria to address a surge in demand for recruits from communities across British Columbia.
The B.C. government says the sites will initially operate for two years and be fully funded by participating police forces.
The facilities will operate under the oversight of the Justice Institute of British Columbia Police Academy.
The government says that in addition to the approval of the new satellite training sites, the academy is expanding its training capacity at its main New Westminster campus by 50 per cent.
That means as many as 432 recruits will graduate from the main campus each year.
The police chiefs of Vancouver and Victoria joined Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger for the announcement at the B.C. legislature.