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Volunteers welcomed to West Coast RCMP

Three Auxiliary Constables receive well-earned badges.
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Const. Jarett Duncan of the Ucluelet RCMP welcomed volunteer constables

A few good locals have stepped up to the West Coast’s volunteer police beat.

The Ucluelet and Tofino RCMP officially welcomed new Auxiliary Constables Kateri Chisholm, Kevin Cortes and Gaylene Thorogood during a special ceremony held at the Ucluelet detachment on June 10.

Auxiliary Constables are volunteers trained to assist community policing efforts.

The local Auxiliary program is headed by Const. Jarett Duncan of the Ucluelet RCMP who served as June 10’s Master of Ceremonies.

“I would like to first thank the family and friends of each Auxiliary member,” Duncan said.

“It takes more than the individual to be successful, it takes the support, guidance and encouragement of family and friends to continue to push one’s self to achieve a goal.”

Duncan said the three new Auxiliaries passed through a “daunting” vetting process that began with nine applicants in April 2015.

“They completed three months of in-class training lessons, a mid-term and final exam where they had to achieve a passing mark of 70 per cent, and scenario based training,” he said.

“In that three months, they dedicated 125 hours of their time to be away from family and friends in order to complete the training.”

He added Chisolm, Thorogood and Cortes were trained on “use of force options, such as soft and hard body control, baton use, proper searches, handcuffing” and were exposed to oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray, commonly known as pepper spray.

“The OC exposure was completely voluntary but, due to their commitment and dedication to their community, they all bravely committed to the task at hand,” he said.

He said he was proud to welcome the three volunteers to the RCMP.

“All of them, without a doubt, exemplify the RCMP’s core values of HIPCAR: honesty, integrity professionalism, compassion, accountability and respect,” he said.

“I had the privilege to work closely with them throughout the three months of training and I am very proud to see them succeed and become a part of the RCMP family.”

 

 



Andrew Bailey

About the Author: Andrew Bailey

I arrived at the Westerly News as a reporter and photographer in January 2012.
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