Halton Police say goodbye to 28-year volunteer officer

"Volunteering to serve your community is admirable; doing it for 28.5 years is pure commitment."

This was the remark from Halton Regional Police who parted ways with 28-year auxiliary police officer Roy Voorberg.

Roy spent his career as a Combustion Engineer working with various machinery at 4 different companies over the course of nearly 40 years. What remained consistent for more than 28 of those years was his commitment to the police department. 

In his downtime, Roy was out on the streets across Halton as part of the Halton Police auxiliary unit where he’d handle traffic control, crowd control (especially at major events), roadside spot checks, bicycle patrol, as well as routine cruiser patrol duty.

As an auxiliary officer, there is no compensation whatsoever and Roy stated that it goes against provincial legislation for the police department to do so. However, compensation was no factor when it came to Roy’s interest in law enforcement.

What started as a simple ride-along eventually led Roy to find pure joy in policing.

Considering that Roy has a full-time job and a family, I had to ask what’s driven him all these years as a volunteer.

"In the beginning, my wife would do shift work as a nurse at Joseph Brant, so when she’d go in for a night shift there, I’d go out with the police department just as one example," Roy said. 

"They’d use us a great deal at major events and as you get to enjoy working those events you find a way to make time in your schedule because it’s a rewarding feeling to be there," he continued. 

A typical auxiliary officer is required to work 12 hours per month, Roy says that he’d average anywhere from 20 - 75 hours. This dedication allowed him to climb the ranks and eventually transition from "Auxiliary Officer Roy Voorberg" to "Sergeant Voorberg."

His last day was Friday (Dec. 1) and he described this goodbye as "bittersweet."

With nearly 30 years of service, Roy reminisced on times like being brought out to help the Toronto Police oversee 261,500 people during the 5-day Billy Graham crusade, or when Pope John Paul II came to Toronto for a weekend, or when he had to help out at the 2012 Burlington VIA derailment.

"There’s always something unique and special, and it just keeps it exciting to be involved that way," Roy said.

Chief Steve Tanner made sure to thank Roy for his service, saying "Roy. Thank you so much for your dedication and commitment and for joining our police service and making Halton that much better and safer. Our auxiliary officers are so important and valuable. Congrats on more than 28 years volunteering with us."