Brian English dreamed of becoming a police officer while growing up on a farm near Rivers, Man. It was an ambition he held from the time he was 12 years old.
He credits the auxiliary constable program in Manitoba for helping him fulfil that ambition.
The program gave him a chance to experience police work in a rural setting. The experience would serve him well once he became a full-fledged officer of the law.
“You learn a lot while on the job,” said English, now a constable with the Rivers police force.
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Auxiliary constables are volunteers who are screened and then trained to handle basic policing duties. They wear police uniforms but are not allowed to carry a sidearm while on duty.
Advocates of the program say it gives the police a greater presence. And extra policing can be a deterrent to crime.
“By having that extra manpower, we’re much more visible in the community,” said Rivers police chief Mike Turnbull. “It’s a huge bonus.”
Rivers has two auxiliary constables. Turnbull plans to add a third this fall. He said there are always more applicants than there are positions to fill.
Among the applicants are people wanting to make policing their career. Others want only to volunteer in their community.
“It’s an eye-opening experience,” Turnbull said. “It will give you a taste of police work.”
Turnbull said the auxiliary constables in Rivers have the powers and authorities of a police officer, but can only exercise that authority when in the presence of a regular member of the force.
The auxiliaries help with police patrols but also take on roles such as teaching bicycle safety to children.
“It’s not just an enforcement role that they take on,” Turnbull said. “They’re expected to take on all the many hats that we all do here.”
The auxiliary constable program is available to rural communities policed by the RCMP or a municipal police force.
The province has committed to spending $500,000 a year over five years to expand the program in Manitoba, said Drew Goddard, community law enforcement co-ordinator for Manitoba Justice.
In recent years, there was an average of 120 auxiliary constables across the province, he said.
But not all rural communities are adopting the program and at least one municipal police force in southern Manitoba has decided to opt out.
“There are benefits to it, but a lot of drawbacks as well,” said Brad Neduzak, chief of the Morden Police Service.
“They weren’t able to work on their own, take a shift or do an investigation.”
Morden ended its auxiliary constable program in May after only a year.
When the police service had auxiliaries, there was a public perception that Morden had an abundance of officers.
That made it difficult, said Nedusak, to hire enough regular members to carry out the work that only full-fledged officers can do.
Liability was a concern, he said, since regular members were responsible for the auxiliaries when patrolling the community together.
