The Estevan RCMP detachment is looking to expand its community presence by taking advantage of a new pilot program in planting community constables into the service.
For those interested in a job in policing and who also have an intrinsic knowledge of Estevan and area, Sgt. Cate Rigaux wants to see you pursue the uniform. Estevan's RCMP sergeant said she very much wants to see Estevan involved in the program, which will see six community constables placed around the province.
Anyone interested may contact Rigaux at the Estevan detachment at 306-637-4400 to leave information and get the ball rolling before attending depot in Regina in spring 2015 for 21 weeks of training.
Rigaux noted that upon graduation, the community constables will be special constables who are armed and uniformed personnel.
"We expect them to have specific knowledge of the language, the culture and the history of the communities they are going to be serving in," said Rigaux. "That's why we ask that anybody who we're looking for in the Estevan area is from (the Estevan area)."
She said these special members will be in the schools as liaisons, visible as traffic officers and attending council meetings to hear concerns and feedback from citizens in different towns.
"They complement our existing members. They do not replace us. They'll provide investigative support when required but their focus is going to be on crime prevention and reduction, and community engagement."
If there is a chronic issue in one of the towns or a crime spree, the community constable would be responsible for implementing a program to try to deal with the issue.
The deadline is quickly approaching to apply for the program and interested parties are asked to apply by the end of February. For more information on the program check the upcoming Feb. 26 edition of the Mercury.
