By 2003 the number of people applying for a position with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) had dropped by 75 percent in five years. During the period 1993–1997, the OPP received 20,000 applications, and 1,239 of these applicants succeeded in obtaining probationary constable positions with the OPP. In contrast, during the period from 1998 to 2002, only 5,300 applied and 1,032 were hired for constable positions. In 1997 women represented 13 percent of the sworn strength of the OPP; in 2003 they represented 17 percent. The OPP is committed to hiring qualified individuals as police officers, taking into account the diversity of the citizens of Ontario, where 51 percent are women.