Aboriginal Community Constable

On April 12, 2011, the first troop of cadets from the RCMP’s Aboriginal Community Constable (ACC) pilot program graduated from RCMP Academy, “Depot” Division in Regina, Saskatchewan.

An ACC is an armed, uniformed peace officer at the rank of Special Constable. Their primary focus is to engage their communities in active crime prevention/reduction and to build positive relationships between their communities and the RCMP. ACCs will enhance, not replace, the work of general duty RCMP constables; they will have the capacity to provide tactical, enforcement and investigational support to other RCMP officers if required.

The ACC pilot demonstrates the RCMP’s strengthened commitment to the Aboriginal Strategic Priority. The program will allow the RCMP to attract, develop and retain persons with specific linguistic, cultural and community skills that go beyond those taught at Depot. This will enable the RCMP to tailor our policing services to specific, community-identified, needs.

The ACCs will return to their Aboriginal communities in Manitoba, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut to help build better relationships between these communities and their police.

Pending the results of a thorough formal evaluation of this pilot, the Aboriginal Community Constable option may be available to additional communities across Canada. If the ACC pilot is not found to be sustainable, the pilot provinces and territories have agreed to absorb the ACCs.