IWD: Weyburn Officer finds Personal Growth through Professional Pursuit

Constable Lisa Robertson is no stranger to working in Emergency Services, having spent nearly a decade as a volunteer firefighter before joining the Weyburn Police Service. A wide range of experience in other fields line her resume as well, including a career as a sales consultant at the local radio station. Also a dedicated mother of two, Lisa's storied professional history has never slowed her down- instead fueling her personal growth and development throughout her life. On this International Women's Day, we asked Cst. Robertson to share her views on equality in modern policing and how her professional journey has reinforced her personal beliefs.

While looking back on what particular experiences led Robertson to finding her career as a Police Officer, she traced her steps to the early days of volunteer firefighting. She certainly enjoyed the opportunity to help others in that role but found herself wanting to get more involved, and often looked to the officers responding to calls alongside her with a sense of longing.

"I would be on calls for the fire department and I would always observe the police officers and kind of thought, 'You know, that's something that interests me, helping out people in a different way other than just fire calls.' With Fire I was just a volunteer on call, so it wasn't an every day job," explained Robertson. "That's when I started looking at policing, and eventually a Community Safety Officer position opened up. That got me interested as it was in the community helping mostly students within the schools."

After just two years in that position Robertson again found herself longing to climb higher. It was her desire to take action and be more involved in helping her community that drove her to take the leap and enroll at the Saskatchewan Police College to become a Constable.

"I wanted to do more; Go to more calls, attend absolutely everything I could, and I wanted to be more on the team with the other officers," she said. 

Now with a combined 5 years in the Weyburn Police Service Cst. Robertson notes that her experiences haven't been affected by her gender, and an evolving culture in policing has arrived in Weyburn quite organically with undeniably positive results. She feels fortunate that being a woman has never affected her opportunities in the field or her status with fellow officers. 

"I can't say how it is for women in other places, larger cities, but here in Weyburn we're all treated the same. We all have the same job to do, and we just do it the best we can," she said. "I really haven't had a lot of obstacles or challenges that have forced me to change my ways or do anything differently. Sure, sometimes maybe the physical aspect, but I feel that I've pushed myself harder than what some people do just to stay with that."

She noted that the growing awareness of how valuable diversity can be has removed many roadblocks that might have stood in her way decades ago. 

"I'd say my biggest obstacle is the shift work, not getting my days and nights mixed up," Robertson laughed. "Over the last five years, though, I've noticed a growing awareness of inclusion and equality. We're all a part of the community, and everybody is able to give back to the community in a different way. We all learn from each other. We push each other. We're there for each other."

That camaraderie makes the entire Service stronger, and acts as a major motivator each day for Lisa. She feels confident that in her toughest moments she'll have the support of her crew at her back, and the opportunity to improve the lives of her friends and neighbors driving her forward through hardships.

"This is a tough job. My platoon, my coworkers, they definitely motivate me to come to work and make the best of every situation. Even people in the community, getting a hug from a little kid when they say thank you for doing a good job, that is the motivation right there. Doing what you can to make somebody else's day a bit better, it really helps if you're going through something yourself," stated Robertson.

Lisa's work as a Police Officer has taught her countless life lessons, but none as important as how to approach the person standing next to her. This she carries each day, and the understanding she's gained for the human experience has opened her mind to be more receptive and understanding of the people she interacts with.

"I've noticed that people kind of sit in silence and don't express everything that's going on in their lives. I see that more now than ever before, so that empathy for people is a little bit stronger for sure," she pondered. "I've also found out that there's so many good people that go unnoticed or unannounced with their good deeds. It's important to realize that life is hard for people, but there's so much positivity, too. I definitely see a lot more positivity in the Community and that's a huge thing that makes my job a lot easier."

Identifying those positive people and appreciating the efforts of the well-intentioned can be difficult for most. For Lisa, who often works with individuals experiencing a challenging point in their lives, she finds it to be an essential part of each day and a valuable tool that keeps her moving forward.

"Every day I try to find something positive, and when you look for that and you see it, you pay more attention to how many good people there are. Unfortunately there's some bad stuff that occurs, or some people have a bad decision one day and we have to deal with that. But you move on, and the people that spread positivity and make things a little bit better for others can change your whole day around."

She's also seen how people combining their differing skills, experiences and backgrounds can work more beneficially for the whole. In her eyes, diversity is a tool that can be used to fill gaps in knowledge or understanding. Seeing the importance of men and women contributing equally in the workplace has reinforced Lisa's belief that all input is valuable in the pursuit of a common goal.

"I guess I've never viewed gender as anything different. Whether you're female or male you have the same job to do, you just figure out different ways of doing it. You might not have the strength, but maybe you have the creativity and motivation so you figure it out and get the job done," she stated. "I don't think gender is a big thing. I think we all have our strengths that balance each other out and makes the job a lot easier."

Although it can be scary to take the leap and pursue a new career, Cst. Robertson's shining example of professional growth serves as a reminder that anyone can make a change in their life with a strong will and the desire to move forward. Now feeling at home in her current role, she shared these words of advice to those struggling to take those first steps towards change:

"Just give it a try and see what you can make of it. I've had a lot of different careers in my life and I'm glad the path I took has led me here. I wish I would have found this career a few years earlier so I'd have more time with it, but right now I'll make the best of it. So if something interests you, give it a try. I don't think there's any harm in trying, and if it doesn't work out then you're going to gain some experience. No matter what, you'll gain something."