A member of the Saint John Police Force recently competed in an international competition and won several medals.

Const. James Smith took part in the World Police & Fire Games, which were held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from July 22 to 31.

He won six medals in both the large and small bore events.

“The final total was two gold, three silver, and one bronze. The bronze and a silver came from the small bore competition in the team category, so you compete as an individual, but if you are also registered as a team, your total scores of the four individuals get put together,” said Smith.

“The other medals came from the large bore competition, so the two golds and two silver came from that competition. The first-day competition was 300 metres, the following day was 300, 400, and 500 metres where I competed individually, and also in the team competition.”

Const. James Smith competes during the event. Image: Saint John Police Force/submitted

Smith is a 10-year veteran of the force and is currently serving with the Forensic Identification Unit.

The officer will take the next two months off before beginning his training for the next competition.

“I’m planning to take the rest of August and September off, and then I will begin training again in October for the 2023 games that are being held in Winnipeg.”

Smith added the training for shooting competitions is both physical and mental.

“The mental preparation for an event like this is just as important if not more so than the actual act of shooting, so I do have a mental marksmanship coach in Ontario, and so she helps me prepare mentally for taking each shot, so it’s repetition.”