Become a Special Constable with the Brantford Police Service
The City of Brantford serves a community of over 100,000 residents and is committed to delivering services with an efficient service delivery model that earns the trust, respect, and confidence of our community.
The Brantford Police Service is currently accepting applications for multiple Special Constable positions. We are seeking applicants with positive attitudes who are initiative-takers and collaborators for Special Constable positions serving with platoons, courts, and outward facing roles.
Police and academics that research public safety have known for over two decades that deploying full-fledged Constables to all of society’s demands is not sustainable nor an efficient use of public resources. Police must stratify their deployment model, similar to what the medical and other professions have done. A properly trained and mentored Special Constable is a more effective and efficient solution. The Special Constable rank has the added appeal of creating a career pathway for individuals who want a career in policing but need time to test drive a career, work on their skills, mature, or gain experience before deciding if they want the duties of a regular Constable.
This position is a pathway for the police and citizens interested in a career in public safety to share and build trust with each other, with families, and with the communities we serve.
Ontario has started to experience mass retirements. This trend will continue for throughout the 2020’s. The police service of today and the future needs to reflect the cultures and languages of all of the citizens we serve. We are very proud that the Special Constable program may also be able to serve as a pathway to a career in policing for individuals awaiting citizenship or permanent residency.
The Special Constable position has three tiers with an entry level position and two other levels that have increased requirements and responsibility, each giving the individuals in the role experience to help them meet the requisites of a Constable should they chose to purse attending the Ontario Police College to become a Constable. The Special Constable program is an excellent pathway to a career in policing.
Special Constables - Platoons
Under the direction of the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) in charge of their respective platoon, working rotating day and night shifts, the incumbent will support the Community Patrol Section with tasks including, but not limited to; prisoner safety, security and management, front desk inquiries, fingerprinting, transport, monitoring, and processing of prisoners, serve summons, warrants, and subpoenas.
Rate of Pay: $26.94
Hours of Work: 12-hour rotating shifts (Days, Nights, and Weekends) following the platoon schedule currently utilized by the Community Patrol Section
Fitness Pin Test Requirements: Minimum 60%
Summary of Duties and Responsibilities
- Be accountable to the NCO i/c Community Patrol Section
- Work as part of a team, and be assigned to a Community Patrol Section platoon
- Assist with front counter inquiries
- Under the direction of the Platoon Supervisor, assist in processing, physically searching and caring for prisoners in holding cells
- Conduct regular visual inspections of holding cells
- Facilitate video remands and bail hearings from the custody area
- Prepare and submit reports in a timely and complete fashion
- Be responsible for the preparation, issuance, and review of court documentation
- Be responsible for the collection of DNA samples; fingerprinting prisoners and civilians
- Exercise control over prisoners while transporting to and from jails, medical facilities, and correctional institutions
- Execute warrants of arrest and committal for individuals turning themselves in at the station
- Exercise authorities of arrest under the Liquor Licence Act, Mental Health Act, and Trespass to Property Act
- Collect property identified as evidence and ensure that it is properly documented and stored
- Assist in canvassing for information under the direction of a sworn member
- Assist in searching for missing persons when required
- Attend and assist in protecting crime scenes, under the direction of an on-scene police constable or supervisor
- Conduct Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) audits and meet with the public to provide advice
- Serve summons, subpoenas, and execute warrants as required
- Attend and successfully complete Use of Force block training on an annual basis
- Perform additional duties as required
Special Constables - Courts
Under the direction of the Sergeant i/c Court Section, the incumbents duties will include, but are not limited t;, court security at all court levels by inspecting court rooms, cell areas and exercising control over prisoners, maintain court decorum as directed by the presiding Justice/Justice of the Peace, exercise control over prisoners while transporting to and from jails, mental facilities and correctional institutions, serve summons, subpoenas and execute warrants as required, be accountable to supervisors for the duties described and perform additional duties are required.
Rate of Pay: $28.83
Hours of Work:
- The full-time positions are 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday from 8:00 am 4:00 pm
- The part-time positions are twenty-four (24) to thirty-nine (39) hours per week
Fitness Pin Test Requirements: Minimum 70%
Summary of Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide court security at all court levels by inspecting court rooms, cell areas, and exercising control over prisoners
- Maintain court decorum as directed by the presiding Justice/Justice of the Peace
- Exercise control over prisoners while transporting to and from jails, mental facilities, and correctional institutions
- Serve summons, subpoenas and execute warrants as required
- Be accountable to supervisors for the duties described
- Perform additional duties as required
Special Constables - Outward Facing
The Outward Facing Special Constable provides law enforcement coverage primarily focused on the Downtown Entertainment & Education District of the City of Brantford. The Special Constable will be involved, but not limited to, daily proactive visibility primarily through proactive foot patrol or bicycle; proactive community engagement, general public safety/crime prevention, and law enforcement commensurate with their Provincial and Federal authorities as approved by the Ministry of the Solicitor General. The Special Constable responds to various calls (e.g., suspicious activities, people experiencing mental health episodes, causing a disturbance, trespassing, break-enter & theft, panhandling, neighbour disputes, loitering, mischief, and negative social behaviour) on an assigned basis. Although most calls are related to negative social behavior, the type/severity and frequency (hourly, daily, weekly) and duration (5 minutes to several hours) of any particular call can vary depending on the type and complexity of the call.
Rate of Pay: $30.24
Hours of Work: 40 hours per week, 10-hour rotating shifts (Days & Afternoons)
Fitness Pin Test Requirements: Minimum 75%
Summary of Duties and Responsibilities
- Foot patrol and bicycle patrol in designated areas
- Prevent and stop breaches of the peace
- Required to effect arrests
- Issue Provincial Offence Notices
- Issue Trespass Notices
- Physically escort people from properties
- Execute arrest warrants (bench & committal)
- Collect property that may be evidence and ensure it is properly documented and stored
- Apprehend persons under the Mental Health Act and escort to a hospital
- Conduct Crime Prevention through Environmental Design
- Serve summons/subpoenas
- Type reports/court briefs
- Enforce select municipal bylaws
- Photograph graffiti and other relevant tagging
- Face-to-face conversation with business owners/stakeholders
- Attend community/stakeholder meetings
The tiered Special Constable Program is a very important part of the stratified approach to public safety which the Brantford Police Service has implemented. This approach to public safety has proven to be immensely successful and includes organized community mobilization, private security, proactive by-law enforcement, the Special Constables and regular Police Constables to address the public safety needs of the community. In order to be successful as a Special Constable, a candidate should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Knowledge
- Knowledge of police organizational structure and policies
- A thorough understanding of use of force options
- Knowledge of the court system
- Working knowledge of standard office software on personal computers
- Working knowledge of data entry on mainframe systems
Skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Computer literate
- Demonstrated proficiency in operating special vehicles
Abilities
- Ability to exercise good judgment and make good decisions
- Ability to use tactical communication and de-escalation techniques
- Ability to work with a focus on customer service
- Be aware and respectful of cultural and indigenous themes and topics
- Ability to make decisions on fact and observations and not on personal biases
- Ability to observe, retain and prepare clear, concise, and accurate reports and operate general office equipment
- Ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels of comprehension and to handle the public with courtesy and authority
- Must be capable of handling multi-tasks, produce work under strict and definitive deadlines
- Ability to sometimes work in disagreeable conditions (i.e., guarding and transporting prisoners, inclement weather)
All applicants are required to successfully complete the following stages of the recruitment process:
- Fit PIN Test (Applicants will be required to pass a fitness component as a pre-requisite of the positions. NOTE: Applicants can select the Shuttle Run OR the 1.5 mile run for the Fit PIN Test)
- Competency-Based interview
- Acceptable psychological assessment
- Suitable medical assessment, and
- Successful completion of an updated background check
Interested applicants are invited to complete the Brantford Police Service Application Form.
Once completed, please click on the link below to upload the application with your resume/cover letter.
Personal information submitted will be used only for the purposes of this competition in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act. The Brantford Police Service invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally under-represented in employment who may contribute to further diversification of our Service.
