Members of the Sarnia Police Service's new auxiliary unit have received their uniforms and are scheduled to begin training in February.
The service's first auxiliary constable unit was expected to roll out in the fall of 2023, but Deputy Police Chief Julie Craddock said the recruitment process took longer than anticipated.
"We did not initially get the number of applicants that we were hoping for which resulted in us having to extend that recruitment drive until we were able to get enough candidates that we could really put through that volunteer hiring process," she said. "We needed to really make sure that the people that we're bringing into the organization are a good fit for this type of work."
Craddock said six people were hired for the volunteer unit.
The recruits picked up their equipment and uniforms at the beginning of 2024 and their training will commence on February 17.
Craddock said their training will consist of both in-person and online courses, which are expected to conclude around mid-March.
"We will be graduating our first ever auxiliary class sometime toward mid-March or the end of April and then we'll have them ready to be deployed out in the community by May," she said.
Auxiliary members will be responsible for improving the relationship between the police service and community members. Craddock said they will be at public events, community engagement sessions, and road safety initiatives such as RIDE spot checks.
"They will always be under the direction of an officer and they can also support some of our emergency response," Craddock said. "So for example, if we had a missing person that required a ground search … we would be able to use the auxiliary unit."
Craddock said there is a monthly commitment for members and they will receive ongoing training.
Before plans are made to add additional auxiliary members to the unit, Craddock said the program will be assessed to see if improvements are needed.
"We're anticipating doing another recruitment drive, probably towards the end of 2024 to put another class through in 2025," she said. "But we really want to take our time to make sure that the people we bring in feel supported, that they're receiving the training and being given the skills that they need in order to perform these duties properly."
Craddock, who has past experience working with auxiliary units, said she's excited for this program to move forward and to eventually introduce the program's six members.
"I think it's going to be a really great addition to the Sarnia Police Service," said Craddock.