Kids and Kops camp proves to be a wild ride

A summer camp in New Brunswick is giving young people who are interested in law enforcement the opportunity to learn what police officers do firsthand.

Kids ages 10 through 13 in Fredericton are spending the week participating in a simulation of what it takes to be on the local police force. The dozen attendees at the camp, known as Kids and Kops, spent Wednesday engaging in a mock police chase. The car course was a hit among the prospective officers, especially when it got loud.

“We're chasing a bad guy, and as the week progresses, we'll end up with a grand capture using a K9 dog and a track to capture the bad guy, and we finish off with going to court on Friday,” Bamford said.

Camp attendees got the chance to play with sirens and lights as officers drove them through a course of pylons, radioing dispatch for details on where to catch their “bad guy.”

"You get to change the siren and you get to go really fast, and you get to choose if you go left, right or straight,” said nine-year-old Tia Nketia.

It's an opportunity for kids to get a taste of what officers do day-to-day, while having lots of fun.

"You definitely have to hold on tight because it would be wobbly and everything. It was really fun -- like you're on a ride or something,” said 11-year-old Rainah Cain.

For the officers, it's important to create a comfortable environment for kids around police.

"Most people in their lives never call the police unless there's problems, so this is a good first introduction for most of these children to have a positive experience,” Bamford said.

Fredericton police are hoping that, one day, they will see the kids back in uniform.