A second competition has been opened for the Brandon Police Service Community Cadet Program, accepting applications till April 6th.

Corporate Communications Officer for the City of Brandon, Merrilea Metcalf, says the Brandon Community Cadets officially hit the streets for the Brandon Police Service on July 4, 2023, with a complement of four, two full-time and two part-time members.

Metcalf says the cadets have been exceptionally well received by members of the police service, employees for the City of Brandon, the businesses in the downtown area, and the community that make the core area of Brandon their home or refuge. She adds the cadets have also proven to be helpful for sworn members and non-sworn employees and have received positive praise since their inception.

"Since working independently, the cadets have been able help the Patrol Division in numerous ways, including but not limited to: relief at the hospital, relief and control at crime scenes (where there is no threat and the suspect is known), non-suspicious sudden deaths, traffic control at accident scenes, transporting subjects to The Detention Unit at the police service or to the Brandon Correctional Centre, training with the Tactical Response Unit, assisting with property/exhibit burns, shadowing the Forensic Identification Unit (for purposes of fingerprinting), and Weekend Remand and Bail Hearings," explains Metcalf.

Metcalf says the consensus regarding the cadet program is overwhelmingly positive with both BPS members and the public alike indicating they wish there were ‘more of them’.

"Many kudos have been received from the public about how grateful they are for the program’s inception, something possibly best exemplified by the cadets receiving their very own personal invitation to attend the “Take Back the Night” event."

In addition to this, the cadets are specifically sought out and requested for action to downtown matters by DOT (Downtown Operational Team), adds Metcalf.

"This, for issues such as checking on established encampments, attending Tidy Up Tuesday and monitoring various properties. Comments have also been received about cadet demeanor and how they conduct themselves in an extremely professional manner," adds Metcalf.

"Most importantly, perhaps, is how the marginalized community in downtown Brandon often go out of their way to greet them and have seemingly welcomed them into the downtown landscape without aggression or hostility.

Currently the City of Brandon have 4 Community Cadets hired, two of which are being hired as police officers in May of this year. They are expanding the number of Brandon Community Cadet to a total of 10 in 2024.

Please listen to more about the Brandon Police Service Community Cadet Program with Sgt Dana McCallum, Public Information Officer with BPS.