INUVIK - Inquiring minds want to know what it takes to be a police officer in Inuvik, and RCMP Const. Amanda Lowe is happy to tell them - if she can get a word in edgewise.

Young children crowd around her, bombarding the officer with their most pressing queries.

Children bombard Const. Amanda Lowe of the Inuvik RCMP with questions during a police recruitment presentation at Ingamo Hall July 30. - Katie May/NNSL photo

"How many bullets are in your gun?

"Can I go see the police car?

"Have you ever shot anyone?

"Do you get to chase after bad guys?

"How do you know if somebody is guilty?"

As she explains a bit about the criminal courts system in response to that last question, Lowe re-arranges some RCMP information pamphlets on the table inside Ingamo Hall, where her police recruitment presentation was to take place July 30. An educational video about the requirements of Northern policing plays on a television set in the background, surrounded at first by fidgety youngsters who quickly lost interest and resumed clamouring for the constable's attention. So far, besides the summer day camp kids who happened to be there, only a couple of people have come in to ask serious questions about getting involved with the police force - namely, about what it takes to be accepted into the RCMP training program.

Lowe said her planned presentation was part of the RCMP's ongoing recruitment efforts and that it - despite her legions of young admirers - was not geared specifically towards children. But she said police officers will likely plan more frequent visits to schools come September to teach kids more about policing as a career.

"We're trying to get out in the community a lot more," she said. "We've got a lot of new members with different and interesting ideas."

The Inuvik RCMP detachment has recently welcomed several new members - like Lowe, who has been in town for about five months - as many other officers near the end of their three-year terms in the community.

With that fresh blood in the detachment, Lowe said, comes a renewed commitment to getting involved in the community, which in this case includes patiently answering dozens of questions per minute until some of the children's attention spans begin to fade. Finally, the kids' day camp group leaders tell them it's time to move on to their next activity, much to the dismay of one little girl who had claimed Lowe as her "new day camp person."

Lowe laughs, prompting smiles all around by promising an up-close look at the cruiser before she leaves.

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