Auxiliary police, also called volunteer police, reserve police, assistant police, civil guards, or special police, are usually the part-time reserves of a regular police force. They may be unpaid volunteers or paid members of the police service with which they are affiliated; there is no consistent international definition.
Auxiliary police are primarily tasked with supporting and augmenting the police, but this may also extend to established emergency services such as the fire department (and in the case of fire police), emergency medical services, border guard, and coast guard. Duties commonly assigned to auxiliaries include community policing, neighborhood watch, traffic policing, civil defense, and riot control.
The police powers auxiliaries may exercise vary from agency to agency; some have no or limited authority, while others may be accorded full police powers. They may be armed or unarmed.
Australia The Australian Federal Police can appoint special members who do not have full police powers. Special members are generally recruited locally to perform regulatory and administrative duties while others perform community policing duties in locations such as Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and Jervis Bay Territory.
The Western Australia Police has had auxiliary officers since 2009. The role of police auxiliary officers was inserted into the Police Act 1892 by the Police Amendment Act 2009. They generally perform administrative and other duties which do not require full police powers.
The Northern Territory Police has auxiliary officers who can perform administrative duties and communications, plus duties which may require some expertise but do not require police powers such as search and rescue.
The Victoria Police recruited 3,100 auxiliary police to the Victoria Police Auxiliary Force during World War II to assist regular police in the event of emergencies. The Auxiliary Force was disbanded in 1946. A number of retired police were temporarily formed into a Police Reserve to assist with traffic control during the 1956 Summer Olympics. A permanent Retired Police Reserve was established under the Police Regulation Act 1958, although today is very small in number.
The New South Wales Police Force formed a Police Reserve of around 500 special constables during World War I. The Police Reserve was formed again during World War II.
Canada
In Canada, many police forces utilize the services of auxiliary constables. Under various provincial policing legislations and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act, the role of auxiliary constable is to assist regular, or sworn, police constables in the execution of their duties, as well as to provide assistance in community policing.
Auxiliary constables in Canada wear uniforms similar to regular force constables. However, most wear the word "auxiliary" on a rocker panel under the force's crest on each arm, and in some cases, wear a red and black checkered head band on their service caps to distinguish them from full-time police. Also, auxiliary constables are usually unarmed, but are trained in firearms. They may, depending on legislation and policies, carry a baton and handcuffs while on duty.
Auxiliary officers are often called upon to assist in such things as large-scale searches for missing persons, to provide crowd control at large-scale events, and often accompany regular force police officers on daily patrols.
The Calgary Police Service discontinued their auxiliary cadet program in 2019 due to concerns that volunteers were given supplemental work, which brought about safety and working condition concerns.
China (公安机关警务辅助人员), better known as Auxiliary Police (辅警) are often hired by local public security bureaus. According to the Guangdong provincial government's 2016 "Law on the management of Ministry of Public Security Auxiliary Personnel", article 5 states that they are not part of the People's Police but are instead managed by People's Police personnel.
Article 8 states that Auxiliary Duty Officers have the following duties:
Assisting in preventing and stopping crime Assisting in patrols Assisting in apprehension, investigation, monitoring and guarding suspects Assisting protecting order at crime scenes along with evidence and rescuing casualties Assisting in traffic enforcement and conflict negotiation Assisting in monitoring drug rehabilitation and confiscation of narcotics Assisting in protecting jails Participating in firefighting Assisting in public relations and promotion of road safety and anti-drug campaigns Assisting in Police interviews Driving People's police automobiles, motorcycles, vessels and aircraft Other duties done by Auxiliary Duty Officers
Article 9 states that Auxiliary Civilian Employees have the following duties:
Organization of documents and files, receiving phone calls and other requests Psychological counseling, website management, data analysis, safety tests, communications maintenance, financial analysis, non-confidential financial management and lab tests. Management and repairing police equipment Other duties done by auxiliary civilian employees
Article 10 states that Auxiliary Police are prohibited from the following duties:
Work related to national security, technical reconnaissance, Anti-Cult and anti-terrorism Work related to confidential information Management of evidence reports and traffic accident responsibility Conducting correctional duties Executive duties Reviewing cases Owning or using firearms or police equipment Enforcing the law on their own Other duties legally assigned to the People's Police
The following are not allowed to be auxiliary police, per article 17:
People with a criminal record are of suspected of committed a crime who has not yet been declared innocent or guilty People who have been placed in jail, juvenile detention, prostitution rehabilitation or with a history of taking drugs People fired by the Ministry of State Security or their government agency People whose labor contract terminated due to violating law enforcement related guidlines People with extremely bad credit history Other criteria which would prohibit someone from police work
Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force (HKAPF, traditional Chinese: 香港輔助警察隊), established in 1914, provides additional manpower to the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) during emergencies and other incidents. From 1969 to 1997, the HKAPF was known as the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force (RHKAPF).
Auxiliary police officers are paid hourly wages and have similar duties to full-time members of the HKPF. Most are armed and, like members of the HKPF, are equipped with full gear and weapons including pepper spray, expandable batons and Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolvers as sidearms, with spare ammunition, while some are armed with Remington 870 shotguns. The HKAPF reports to the Commissioner of Police.
Estonia The Assistant Police Officer position was created in Estonia by the Assistant Police Officer Act, which was adopted by the Riigikogu on 20 April 1994. It provided the rights, duties and activities of the assistant police officer, defined by Estonian law as a person who is not a member of the Estonian Police but who voluntarily participates in police activities in the cases allowed by local laws. While taking part in police activities, the assistant police officer is a government representative.
Initially, each police officer was guided individually by a police officer to whom they were assigned (usually the region constable). Nowadays they are guided by assistant police officer formations managers, who are appointed by the chief of police.
France
France has a reserve of the National Police (active in the cities) and the National Gendarmerie (mainly rural police member of the army). Its members are paid per day of service based on their availability. The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense can also mobilize them in case of a serious threat to national security. Access to the reserve is obtained after less than one month of training in a police academy (police) or military barracks (gendarmerie). There is also continuing education. Ranks are obtained with seniority of service and a competitive examination for officers. There are 1,500 police reservists as of 2022 and 29,000 gendarmerie reservists as of 2018. They are composed of men and women with age limits for registration as well as medical aptitude. Reservists are required to have French nationality. Reservists have the same uniforms and skills as professional police officers or gendarmes and almost the same equipment, except for certain specific prerogatives (maintenance of order, judicial protection agent, judicial police officer), they are officially assistant judicial police officers. They cannot record all offences.
Germany
In Germany, auxiliary police forces (Freiwilliger Polizeidienst or Sicherheitswacht) exist in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, and Saxony. The auxiliary police (Freiwillige Polizei-Reserve) of Berlin was dissolved in 2002. Their jurisdiction varies between states.
Baden-Württemberg Founded in May 1963, the Baden-Württemberg auxiliary police (Freiwilliger Polizeidienst Baden-Württemberg) consists of 1,201 members.
The officers are required to complete two weeks of training after which they are usually deployed on service with a regular police officer. In the eyes of law, they are fully authorized police officers, wear normal police uniforms with a certain patch and complete police gear, including pepper spray, handcuffs and Walther P5 pistol.
Though, the coalition contract of 2011-2016 between the governing political parties Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and the SPD seeks the abolishment of the auxiliary police and the financial supply as well as the recruitment of new auxiliary officers was suspended.
Bavaria The Bavarian auxiliary police (Bayerische Sicherheitswacht) was officially founded on 31 December 1996.
Officers have limited legal powers: apart from a citizen's arrest, briefly detain and question a person and check their identification and can ask a dangerous person to leave the area (Platzverweis under Article 16, PAG).
Equipped with a radio and pepper spray, they usually patrol on foot or by bicycle and do not wear a full uniform, but either plain clothes with a brassard or a marked shirt.
Hessen The auxiliary police in Hessen (Freiwilliger Polizeidienst Hessen) was introduced in October 2000 and employs around 750 members of which approximately 30% are women.
The officers are given 50 hours. Their patrol is limited to beats on foot and serves traffic control, assistance to major events and prevention of crime through mere police presence.
Although they wear ordinary police uniform (except wearing baseball caps instead of peaked caps) with "freiwilliger Polizeidienst" patches, their equipment is generally limited to pepper spray and a mobile phone.
Apart from this, they have limited powers as they may only ask a person to wait with them, briefly interrogate them, ask them to reveal their identity or to leave the area if they appear to be dangerous (Platzverweis under §31 HSOG).
Saxony The auxiliary police of Saxony (Sächsische Sicherheitswacht) was formed on 1 April 1998. A third of the 800 active members are women.
After being trained for 60 hours, they usually patrol on foot in blue or green jackets or shirts, showing presence on public transport, openly accessible buildings such as shopping malls and other public areas.
They are equipped with radio and pepper spray and are authorised to conduct a stop (§ 21, Abs. 1 Sächsisches Polizeigesetz) of a similar nature to officers in Bavaria or Hesse.
Hungary
In Hungary, the auxiliary police are the Polgárőrség (formally "Nationwide Civil Self-Defense Organization"; directly translated as "Civil Guard"; short name "OPSZ").