The last two months Drumheller has had a new man in blue in town. Constable Marcel Hiemstra arrived at the Drumheller RCMP detachment the end of August straight out of training.
Constable Hiemstra, who was born and raised in the Lethbridge area, said, “Drumheller is different. It’s beautiful in its own way with its historical aspect. I find you tend to get to know people more here than in a bigger place.”
Constable Hiemstra said that after 25 years he had a hard time adjusting to six months of school. He is glad to be out of training and said the detachment is helping and he is learning lots from his official trainer, Constable John Foran. Constable Hiemstra said that he is excited to consider Drumheller his home and his co workers are quickly becoming like his family.
“The RCMP is family. You have to rely on everyone. In training at depot you learn this. Without the help and moral support of the others I wouldn’t have made it through training.” he said.
Constable Hiemstra said he always wanted to either be in the army or a police officer. After being a journeyman carpenter for 16 years, Constable Heimstra, decided to follow that dream and look into joining the RCMP.
When asked what attracted him most to being with the RCMP, he said it was to be able to help people. He said, “My favorite part of the job is all the little things. I like helping people and interacting with the youth of the community.”
“Maybe one person out of 20 is grateful at the time when you show up but even if just one person is grateful, that makes my job worth it. As they say, when you are RCMP you encounter 10 per cent of the population and 90 per cent of the time it’s the worst day of their life.” Constable Hiemstra said.
