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Victoria Police Department
Recruitment Reserve Constable (Volunteer)

Reserve Constable (Volunteer)

Are you thinking about a career in policing or maybe you just want to give back to your community? 

Many of our volunteer Police Reserve Constables go on to pursue a policing career and many more want to play a part in helping the community stay safe.

Whatever your reason for joining us, the Reserve Constable Program offers an exciting and challenging volunteer experience. The Victoria Police Reserve Constable Program is recognized throughout the Canadian policing community as a leader in the development and delivery of community-based Reserve Constable Policing.

Through the Victoria Police Reserve Constable Program, volunteers receive first-hand experience working with the Victoria Police Department (VicPD), delivering Crime Prevention programs to citizens and businesses.

Some of the community programs Reserve Constables participate in include: 

  • Uniformed neighbourhood patrols
  • Home/Business Security Audits
  • Safety Presentations
  • Block Watch

Reserve Constables are also involved in community events for a uniformed presence or conducted traffic control.  Reserve Constables can participate in the ride-along program, Roadblocks, and the Late Night Task Force, where they accompany a police officer and observe the officer’s duties and assist where they can.  Reserve Constables are also used as role-players in regular member training.

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What to Expect

All successful Reserves are expected to:

  • Volunteer a minimum of 10-hours a month, over a minimum 10-months during the year
  • Complete Use of Force recertification training days

In return for your volunteer hours, VicPD will provide you with:
  • Opportunities to participate in the delivery of Crime Prevention Programs
  • Opportunities to assist regular members in Patrol, Traffic Control, and Liquor Control and Licencing Enforcement
  • Opportunities to assist with special events
  • Access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
  • Dry cleaning service for uniforms

Training for Reserves

Typically, the Victoria Police Department will put on 1-2 small Reserve Constable training classes a year with 6-8 candidates per class. The classes run from January to March, April to June, and September to December.

Successful candidates must complete the basic Reserve Officers training mandated by Police Services. Training takes about 3 months with classes held Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  There will be two Sundays of training as well, which takes place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Candidates study legal issues, crime prevention, traffic, professionalism and ethics, communication tactics and self-defense training. Practical and written exams are held for self-defense and communications and two provincial written exams are given on classroom studies. The provincial written exams are conducted by the Justice Institute of BC and require a minimum passing grade of 70 per cent. The training also has a strong physical, team building component.

To qualify as a Special Municipal Constable applicant, you must meet the following requirements:

Qualifications

  • Basic computer skills and keyboarding ability
  • Demonstrated fit and healthy lifestyle
  • Meet the medical requirements of the Victoria Police Department
  • Maturity derived from varied life experience
  • Demonstrated responsibility, initiative, creativity and problem-solving abilities
  • Demonstrated sensitivity to people whose culture, lifestyle or ethnicity is different than your own
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Ability to successfully undergo reference checks

    Prerequisites

    • Minimum age 19 years
    • No criminal record for which a pardon has not been granted
    • Class 5 Driver's License
    • Valid Basic First Aid Certificate and CPR 
      (Level C)
    • Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident
    • Visual acuity must be no poorer than 20/40, 20/100 uncorrected and 20/20, 20/40 corrected. Applicants having corrective laser surgery must wait three months from time of surgery before applying
    • Hearing requirements: must be above 30 db HL to the 500 to 3000 HZ in both ears, and 50 dB HL in the worst ear at the 3000 + HZ notch
    • Grade 12 High School equivalency (GED)

      Competitive Attributes​

      Although not required...
      • Fluency in a second language
      • Basic Security Course (BST-Level 1 & 2)
      • First Aid Training OFA level 2