Four new officers have been welcomed to the ranks of the Saint John Police Force.
A swearing-in ceremony for the new constables took place at police headquarters on Friday.
Benjamin Cannon, Arjun Chauhan, Owen Lohnes and Carlo Mariano begin their duties effective immediately.
“These young men are very dedicated to the community. That’s why they were selected,” Chief Robert Bruce told reporters.
“They’re super excited and energized about being out there and working with the community, making a difference in the community, having an impact.”
All four were selected by the recruitment team and sponsored to go to the Atlantic Police Academy, where they recently completed six months of training.
Lohnes has a personal connection to the force — his father, Jason, has been a long-serving member of the force and had a big impact on his decision.
“He went off to the academy when I was three years old, so I kind of grew up around everybody and all the other constables. It was something I always thought about growing up,” he said.
Chauhan spent the early part of his life in India and moved to New Brunswick more than five years ago in 2019.
He was one of several people who took part in the force’s first inclusion and diversity recruitment camp last year.
“When I joined, attended the camp, it was very detailed, the information given, and then I got to know a lot of new aspects or maybe new information that I did not know back before that,” said Chauhan.
“It won’t be easy. But I think we have been trained in such a way that our whole focus is towards helping people and to gain the trust of our community.”
While Chauhan is the first camp participant to be hired by the force, Chief Bruce said there are also others they are looking at.
“Our diversity in the group also helps build trust in our community. The more people see that we represent who lives in the community is always better and builds better trust in the community,” he said.
The four new hires bring the total number of officers with the Saint John Police Force to 146.
