Kelowna RCMP Deploy New Auxiliary Volunteers at School Safety Event

Community Safety Alert for Kelowna and Area

The Kelowna RCMP Auxiliary program has reached an important milestone with its first official deployment of new volunteers. Late last week, two recently trained Auxiliary members supported a school-based safety initiative focused on impaired driving at a local high school.

On Thursday morning at Okanagan Mission Secondary (OKM) in Kelowna, British Columbia, Auxiliary volunteers Doug McWilliams and Alex Schrenk assisted police officers and emergency health services personnel during an impaired driving simulation. They then met with students inside the school to discuss careers in policing and the role of the RCMP Auxiliary Program.

Official Details from Kelowna RCMP

According to the RCMP, the Kelowna Auxiliary program now has 14 new members, and Doug and Alex are the first of this group to be deployed at an official community engagement event.

• Who: Auxiliary volunteers Doug McWilliams and Alex Schrenk, both graduates of the Tier 1 Auxiliary training program.
• What: First operational participation by new Auxiliary members in an RCMP community event, focused on impaired driving awareness and youth engagement.
• Where: OKM high school, Kelowna, British Columbia.
• When: Thursday morning, in the week prior to the RCMP release dated 2026-04-17.
• Activities outside: Provided support to Kelowna RCMP officers and Emergency Health Services (EHS) during an outdoor impaired driving simulation.
• Activities inside: Spoke with students about the Auxiliary program, volunteering, and potential careers with the RCMP, including the path to training at Depot.
• Program background: The RCMP Auxiliary Program, created in 1963, is designed to strengthen community policing and crime prevention efforts through trained volunteers.
• Upcoming appearances: Kelowna Auxiliary members are scheduled to assist at additional community events, including the Okanagan Provincial Master Swim Club championship and Vaisakhi celebrations in the coming week.

About the Auxiliary Members and Program

Doug, a former Auxiliary member from the mid-1990s, has rejoined under the modernized program and notes that training and procedures have evolved significantly. He describes the role as an impactful way to help a growing city and to work alongside RCMP officers and other local responders to support community safety.

Alex, one of the younger members of the Kelowna Auxiliary team, is actively pursuing a career in policing. In addition to his Auxiliary duties, he volunteers as a firefighter in Lake Country and contributes to Lake Country Community Policing, viewing the Auxiliary program as a practical path toward his goal of eventually training at Depot.

The Auxiliary role is volunteer-based but requires a structured selection and training process. Prospective candidates must attend a recruiting information session, submit a formal application, complete an interview, pass fitness testing, and then take part in both classroom and field-based instruction before deployment.

Volunteer-based policing support programs like the RCMP Auxiliary contribute to stronger community engagement across Canada, from larger centres such as Kelowna to smaller communities profiled in our safety data, including places like the Veteran, Alberta crime statistics and safety overview.

How to Learn More or Get Involved

Residents interested in volunteering with the RCMP Auxiliary Program in British Columbia can review official information and application requirements through the RCMP:

• Program details and eligibility: BC RCMP Auxiliary Program – official information
• Kelowna Auxiliary contact email: [email protected]

These Auxiliary volunteers do not replace regular police officers but provide additional eyes, ears, and engagement capacity at events, crime prevention initiatives, and safety campaigns.

CrimeCanada.ca Community Safety Perspective

From the perspective of CrimeCanada.ca, this development in Kelowna is important because well-trained volunteers can expand the reach of community policing and safety education, especially for youth. Public demonstrations about impaired driving, like the OKM simulation, help reduce injuries and fatalities and reinforce safe choices for new drivers. Auxiliary members also act as local ambassadors, connecting residents with police services in a non-emergency setting. We encourage communities across British Columbia to stay engaged with local safety initiatives, participate in education programs, and promptly report impaired or dangerous driving to authorities whenever it is safe to do so.

Official Source & Community Safety

This safety alert is based on an official release from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). CrimeCanada.ca aggregates and analyzes this data to keep the british-columbia community informed, aware, and safe. We are an independent safety data aggregator and not the original creators of the underlying incident report.

Read the full official release here: RCMP Official Statement.