A critical element in the bond between a community and its police are those who bridge the gap. In most BC RCMP detachments, this element is auxiliary constables who volunteer a minimum of 160 hours a year to serve along side police officers in areas related to public safety and crime prevention.

Started in 1951, the Auxiliary Constable Program is an integral part of the RCMP in BC with more than 1300 volunteers contributing approximately 180,000 hours a year.

The mandate of the program is to strengthen community and police partnerships by providing citizens a way to get involved and support strategies to address the causes of, or reduce the fear of, crime and disorder, explains Cpl. Mimi Mar, RCMP Program Coordinator for the province.

“They say they just want to give back to their community, they want to set a good example for their children,” she says.

Who’s who and what’s what

Because they are part of the community, people know them and they are a constant. When a new police officer is posted to a detachment, auxiliary constables are to help brief them on who’s who and what’s what, Cpl. Mar says. “They have a wealth of information. They know what is going on in their community.”

Don Ford is one of two people who have been part of the program for more than 40 years. One has now retired but Aux. Cst. Ford is still as active as ever at Smithers Detachment. He is teaching the DARE program, which he says is challenging. But “usually by the end of the course the kids have caught on to it,” he says.

Growing up, his friend was the son of a member posted in Smithers and he was able to do some ride-alongs. That piqued his interest and he joined the Auxiliary Constable Program in 1968. Much has changed since then – they no longer carry firearms and now wear uniforms that are different from a police officer’s – but the volunteer work is still an important part of his life. “I guess I’m kind of committed to it,” he laughs.

At the other end of the spectrum is Paul Cooper. With less than one month’s service since successfully completing the required 135-hour training program, he is just starting his volunteer career with the RCMP in Chilliwack at the Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment.

Day job created curiosity

Like several other auxiliary constables, he is a civilian employee with the RCMP and found the work of police officers intriguing. His day job is with the Multimedia Section which is responsible for developing training and educational materials, including videos. In this work he spends a significant amount of time with police officers and has done several ride-alongs with different policing sections.

“I have always found it extremely interesting,” he says. “I’ve been able to be in situations where police are interacting with the good, the bad and the in between.”

As he went through training, he realized just how much he didn’t know, even after working with the RCMP for two-and-a-half years. Elements of the law, how and why police do what they do – nothing is random; there is a reason for it all, he says.

A partnership for crime prevention

The Auxiliary Constable Program in BC is a partnership between the provincial Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General’s Office and the RCMP. Auxiliaries are there to “complement” not “supplement” the police officers, Cpl. Mar says. “They assist police officers by participating in crime prevention and community policing activities.”

This can include helping to develop neighbourhood watch programs, making presentations to businesses on robbery protections, assisting with patrols at major special events, doing bike patrols and ride-alongs.

“We are an extra set of eyes and ears and we can provide an extra presence,” says Aux. Cst. Ford, although at 67, he doesn’t do ride-alongs anymore.

Being the “extra eyes” paid off for Aux. Cst. Cooper on his first shift.

The first call of the morning was to check on the welfare of a woman whose neighbour was very concerned because she hadn’t been seen in several days. After some searching and some phone calls, they tracked down the woman who was traveling with her husband, much to the great relief of the worried neighbour.

The second call involved the traffic stop of a woman who was driving erratically. “Other drivers were giving us the thumbs up for getting her off the road,” Aux. Cst. Cooper says, which is something neither he nor the police officer had ever seen before.

Then, on the way back to the detachment when Aux. Cst. Cooper spotted a suspicious driver who he pointed out to his police partner. The vehicle was ultimately stopped and drugs were found inside it.

With all this excitement in his first day, Aux. Cst. Cooper is looking forward to what will come in the future.

“That was all in the first five or six hours. How can you not love that,” he asks. If you are interested in becoming an Auxiliary Constable, please contact the RCMP detachment near you"