Navi Dosanjh has applied her education when she’s needed it most both as a correctional officer and as a reserve constable, where she helped to resolve a dangerous hostage situation.
Navi is a graduate of the Law Enforcement Studies Diploma (LESD) and Bachelor of Law Enforcement Studies (BLES) programs at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC).
She has wanted to work in law enforcement since childhood. Prior to attending JIBC, she worked in the security field. She learned about the LESD program through her online research.
The Law Enforcement Studies Diploma program was one of the few, if not the only program that provided courses that were directly relevant to law enforcement, she said. In addition, JIBC is the institute that trains all BC Correctional Officers and municipal police officers in BC.
“I knew I wanted to be in that type of learning environment.”
While completing JIBC’s two-year LESD, she was recruited as a reserve constable with the Abbotsford Police Department.
While on duty with an Abbotsford police officer, she attended a call involving a suicidal male threatening his family members in their home.
“Using my crisis intervention and conflict resolution skills learned through JIBC, after two to three hours of gathering information, my effective communication with my superiors and with the hostages resulted in the removal and arrest of the suspect from the residence.”
Learning never ends, but if I had to credit my success in my current positions to anything, it would be the skills, knowledge and tools I acquired through the BLES program.
During the LESD program, she decided she wanted to further her education and knowledge, so she chose to spend another two years completing the BLES program. About a year after graduating with a BLES degree, she applied and was hired as a correctional officer with BC Corrections.
“BLES proved to be an invaluable experience for me. The program allowed me to be a competitive applicant for BC Corrections,” she said. “Being a part of a cohort and a small class size, I didn’t feel like I was merely a student. There is a sense of belonging that comes from being surrounded by like-minded people and I was able to experience that through the program.”
She was also impressed by her instructors and appreciated learning from their experiences out in the field.
“They incorporated stories of their experiences as current and retired law enforcement professionals into the class, allowing me to learn not only from the textbook, but from their real-life, first-hand experiences.”
Navi said once hired, BC Corrections provided her with “top-tier training,” also delivered by JIBC. She aspires to move up in the ranks with BC Corrections and use this experience to pursue future opportunities.
“Learning never ends, but if I had to credit my success in my current positions to anything, it would be the skills, knowledge and tools I acquired through the BLES program. Crisis intervention, conflict resolution and de-escalation, multitasking, report writing, investigation, and effective communication are examples of some of the skills I use every day in my current roles,” she said.
“They say knowledge is power, and JIBC has given me the power to pursue my aspirations, preparing me with all the right skills, knowledge, and tools under my belt.”
For more information about the Bachelor of Law Enforcement Studies program, visit jibc.ca/bles. For more on the Law Enforcement Studies Diploma program, visit jibc.ca/lesd.