JAGROOP Bhullar and Jayvir Uppal, along with Myles Krauchi and Nolan Moore, were sworn in as Abbotsford Police recruit constables on April 24 by Judge Gregory Brown in the presence of Police Chief Bob Rich and dignitaries.

The recruit constables will spend about eight months at the Justice Institute of B.C. and in hands-on training before becoming full constables.

Bhullar and Uppal are outstanding role models for South Asian youth.

JAGROOP Singh Bhullar was born on September 20, 1985, in Vancouver. Jag began wrestling at a very young age, and eventually built a rigorous daily training regime; which quickly became a way of life. While other kids would spend their time watching TV, Jag would pass his time in the gym where he would naturally discover his love for working out and training, determined to become the best wrestler he could be. Growing up, Jag not only practiced the sport of wrestling, but he loved playing all sports – football, soccer, basketball, hockey, and continues to play a variety of sports today. He is very much involved in expressing his energy by way of sports and fitness.

Jag’s father spent a lot of time with him, playing the role of his mentor as well as his best friend.

Jag eventually progressed along the path of a successful athlete, both by skill and physique. He also felt an increase of interest in school, which led him to be more successful at yet another avenue in life. Jag attended H.J. Cambie Secondary School from Grades 8-12, where he maintained an excellent relationship with all of his teachers, led by example in his social circle, always displaying leadership and hard work. After graduating from high school, Jag went on to further his education at Douglas College and Simon Fraser University, where he continued to train hard. Coaches Mike Jones and Justin Abdou trained Jag at SFU, where he eventually became CIS National Champion and lead the university team to a national title. Jag went on to graduate with a major in criminology and minor in education.

SFU was also where Jag met his wife, Sonia. What started off as a friendship grew into a relationship, and they were married in June 2013.

Having his wife and parents by his side have proven to be Jag’s strongest support. Once being a shy individual, Jag has grown to become more confident in himself, has gotten to be more comfortable with public speaking, and being an athlete he has become disciplined and health conscious for a long time. Jag went on to win several national championships, competing at major international tournaments such at World University Championships and Commonwealth Games. Jag is also a five-time Canada Kesri Champion.

This was also a point in Jag’s life where he began giving back to the community, sharing his story, motivating youth to keep positive and optimistic

about whatever they choose to do in life. His father opened an academy for youth in their village in India where Jag continually goes and mentors the children and young adults.

Alongside his training, Jag spends a lot of time on public speaking and putting together community centered plans for the future. He has opened up his own non-profit athletic club, Bhullar Wrestling Club, which operates out of Richmond for free to the public. This is a volunteer service, which he has started to give back to the community, and it is at full capacity (35 students) and growing. Most of Jag’s free time is spent organizing events for his non-profit club, such as the youth wrestling tournament he organized called the Western Canada Age Class Championships 2015, which was held at the Richmond Olympic Oval and hosted 800-plus youth participants and 1000-plus spectators.

Jag’s interest in criminology has spanned over the majority of his adolescent and all of his adult life. He is excited to pursue his career goal of becoming a police officer for the Abbotsford Police Department. Having a background of working in the criminal justice system as a Corrections Officer at the Surrey Pretrial Service Center (SPSC), Jag feels prepared to take this step in his career.

JAYVIR Uppal was born in Burnaby, but moved to Abbotsford when he was five. He was raised there with his three younger siblings.  Jay attended high school at MEI (Mennonite Educational Institute), graduating in 2008.

After graduation, Jay attended UFV (University of the Fraser Valley) for kinesiology.  Finding that his heart was not in it at the time, Jay left UFV and began working full-time.  In 2010, Jay got a job with Overwaitea as a loss prevention officer (LPO).  He enjoyed the work, and a combination of the LPO job and an interest in policing led to him enrolling in the Law Enforcement Studies program at the Justice Institute of B.C. in 2011.

In 2011, Jay also applied to APD.  He, too, heard the phrase “needs more life experience”. Jay continued with his program at the Justice Institute, landed a job as an LPO with London Drugs, and began volunteering with Abbotsford Restorative Justice.

In January 2013, Jay received his Law Enforcement Studies diploma from the Justice Institute.   In May of that year, he was hired as a part-time dispatcher at APD.  Jay moved to a full-time dispatcher role in 2014, and soon began to build a reputation with the APD officers as a calm, reliable and intuitive dispatcher.  Those skills will no doubt help him greatly in his new career.