Public Safety committee  Yes.

Public Safety committee  Yes, it enables them to be in the company of a regular member, under the direct supervision of a regular member. Whether that's in a police car or whether it's in the office, for that matter, certainly the training they have enables them to have that place.

Public Safety committee  There are. There are young people who don't necessarily have an interest in a career in law enforcement but who just want to help and contribute to their community in that way. I don't have specific statistics with respect to the distribution of age group, but that's something I can look at to see if we can get a handle on it.

Public Safety committee  Yes. I've worked with bankers, with folks who are retired, as well as with young folks who are just out of high school, for that matter, who are wanting to work with the police and contribute.

Public Safety committee  They're both invaluable programs. I have first-hand experience with the Citizens on Patrol program in Selkirk, Manitoba, as well. There are different functions, but the Citizens on Patrol are the eyes and ears of the RCMP and have regular contact and communication with the RCMP as to potential or ongoing criminal activity.

Public Safety committee  Yes, there are standard components. Certainly, the RCMP intervention management model guides how they're to respond to incidents where there is a physical intervention of some sort with a client. So there are components that are standard, the CPR course and whatnot. But as far as the totality of the training they receive is concerned, it is very much determined by what they require for the functions and duties they're performing in their division.

Public Safety committee  As far as the volunteer requirements and the requirements of their...is concerned, it's divisionally determined in terms of those requirements and that's why there's such variance. When I talked about the minimum hours of volunteering, it runs the gamut from 100 to 192 hours a year.

Public Safety committee  I think we're proactive in educating the community with respect to the auxiliary constable program, whether it be via presentations in the community or just with local TV or radio, for that matter. We have a variety of recruitment methods, but in essence, people express an interest.

Public Safety committee  That's correct.

Public Safety committee  I can only speak to my experience, and I have worked in a diversity of communities. I've worked with male and female auxiliaries, and with auxiliaries of a variety of ethnicities, including aboriginal auxiliary constables. We are constantly trying to drum up the interest in the auxiliary program.

Public Safety committee  It really depends on the nature of the duties that are defined by the division. There is some variance in terms of the tasks that are assigned to the auxiliaries, depending on these service delivery requirements in each division. If the interest is in having an auxiliary do crime prevention talks in the schools and that's the extent of their responsibilities, then they would probably receive far less training than if they're on patrol side by side with regular members of the RCMP, responding to low-level complaints.

Public Safety committee  There's a national policy that certainly provides parameters as to what they can engage with and what they can't. It is stipulated that all of their activities have to be under the supervision of a regular member of the RCMP. That is something our field members are mindful of. They're responsible for that auxiliary and we do have to be very mindful that we're not exposing them to situations that could cause them harm.

Public Safety committee  With respect to your first question on the expansion of the auxiliary constable program, we're certainly always looking within our communities for interest in that program, and in expanding that program where it makes sense. The costs are minimal. Certainly there are some training aspects that need to be considered and coordinated, but we are always looking to expand that program.

Public Safety committee  It depends on the manner in which the community wants to engage the police. A number of communities have community consultative groups of volunteers and professionals from the community. They're a body within the community that meets with the police to establish community policing priorities.

Public Safety committee  My apologies for the late submission of the redraft. A number of topics that were in the initial version went out. We had some reworking to do on that. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairperson and honourable members of the committee. My name is Tyler Bates. I'm the RCMP's director of aboriginal policing and crime prevention services.