The Regina Police Service will soon see Alternate Response Officers (AROs) patrolling Regina’s downtown area, providing a new tier of public safety in an effort to better serve the community.
The special constables will work in conjunction with police officers, delivering public safety programming in instances where an armed police officer isn’t required. The unit will also increase the availability of police officers to respond to calls for service. While the program’s main focus is to provide support in the downtown area, it could extend beyond that area as needed.
The program launch is made possible thanks to a two-year partnership with the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety. This initial agreement will see $300,000 in provincial government funding matched by the Regina Police Service. It is being used to fund program development and roll out, training and salaries for the first year of the program.
Alternate Response Office duties can include:
Direct service delivery – walking the downtown area, enforcing bylaw and provincial legislation, liaising with community partners, and ceremonial duties.
Enforcement Support – assisting with traffic-related events and escorts, transporting arrested persons, and assisting in detention.
Investigative Support – taking complaints from the public, writing reports, retrieving evidence and guarding scenes.
“We strongly believe the introduction of the ARO program will be beneficial for both the Regina Police Service and our community,” said Deputy Chief, Lorilee Davies. “Not only will the ARO’s be able to provide support to our front-line officers, but also help us better respond to the needs of the community.”
Successful candidates will be sworn in as special constables and will train at the Regina Police Service Headquarters. The training is 11 weeks long and will be comprised of both classroom and on-the-job training. Among the skills the special constables will learn are: de-escalation techniques, community engagement strategies, defensive tactics, law and cross-cultural competencies.
The community can expects to see six ARO’s on the street later this fall.
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