The RCMP officially launched Tier 3 of the new Auxiliary Program for community policing programs in BC on April 3, 2024. The new program allows provinces and territories to choose between three tiers of auxiliary policing to address local needs and circumstances. British Columbia has elected to implement the most comprehensive level, Tier 3. Local governments seeking to implement the new Auxiliary Program must request to do so through their local RCMP detachment.
This announcement comes four years after the legacy Auxiliary Constable Program was suspended following a national program review by the RCMP. Last year, the Province and the RCMP signed a Memorandum of Understanding making BC the first province to implement Tier 3 of the newly revised Auxiliary Program. The BC RCMP has spent the last 6-8 months recruiting and processing Auxiliaries who were part of the legacy program into the new Tier 3 Auxiliary Program throughout BC.
The Province is covering the costs associated with implementation of the program, including training, uniforms, and medical expenses. Local governments that implement the new Auxiliary Program will be responsible for all ongoing costs associated with operations. These local governments will also be able to request new Auxiliaries on an annual basis, with the Province acting as final decisionmaker based in part on available funding and other requirements.
Auxiliaries are uniformed, unarmed, community volunteers who are appointed by the Province as peace officers.
In February 2020, the UBCM Executive endorsed a motion seeking the temporary implementation of the new Auxiliary Program at the Tier 3 level, while also requesting that a BC-only program be established. This motion reflects the important role that Auxiliaries play in many BC communities that rely on their services to address seasonal demands, events, and other enforcement needs; as well as the long-term objective of implementing a provincial program that meets the needs of BC local governments.