Sarah Payne, B.C. (Tri-City News) – They put in 140 hours of training and, when they’re finished, at least 160 hours on the job each year.
And even though they don’t get paid, two of Coquitlam RCMP’s 45 auxiliary constables are happy to volunteer their time to help keep their community a safe one.
Ryan Voutilainen has been volunteering since 2002 and Jodie McNeice since early 2008. They both entered the program as an extension of their jobs but have continued in the demanding role because of the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the community.
When Voutilainen, 31, joined, he was doing animal cruelty investigations for the BC SPCA and saw the auxiliary constable program as a way of broadening his experience in law enforcement. He enjoyed it so much that in the year after he finished the training program, he logged 652 hours of volunteer time helping Mounties on patrol, supervising community events and doing traffic and crowd control.
Voutilainen has since taken on a management role with the SPCA and says his RCMP training helps his work leading a large staff and more than 200 volunteers.
McNeice, 48, has been managing the community police stations in Port Coquitlam since 1999 and a big part of her job is running crime prevention programs.
“We’re often asked if a uniformed officer can come and talk to a group of kids or seniors” and other community groups, McNeice said. “I really enjoyed that and I wanted to be part of that.”
Being an auxiliary constable adds to her already long list of volunteer work, with Share Family and Community Services, the Fraser-Burrard Community Justice Committee (now known as CERA, for Communities Embracing Restorative Action), Girl Guides and her children’s sports teams.
“I just wanted to give back to the community I work and live in,” she said.
Auxiliary constables act as an extra set of eyes and ears for the Coquitlam RCMP while at events and during patrols. They wear uniforms similar to those worn by regular members and are equipped with handcuffs, a baton and pepper spray (part of their training includes being pepper sprayed so they know what to expect) but they do not carry guns.
The volunteers also work with ICBC on the Lock Out Auto Crime initiative, and with business owners in Project Protect to educate them on how to protect PIN pad devices.
Last year, Coquitlam RCMP auxiliary constables logged more than 10,200 hours assisting in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra.
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