The initiative was halted after B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner and others said the presence of police in schools was potentially harmful to Black and Indigenous students
Lori Poppe, here in Victoria B.C. on April 15, is a resident of Saanich and a mom of two kids who attend schools in the district. Lori founded an advocacy group called parents and police together.In Saanich , B.C., the youth arrest rate in the first four months of this academic year is more than triple last year’s rate.
Those who support reinstating the program say an on-site police presence offers better security at schools, and a non-threatening way for students to interact with officers, who may even participate in school programs and activities. Opponents of the program say Black and Indigenous students, and others from marginalized communities that have been overpoliced, may instead feel watched and threatened.
She added that getting to know a school liaison officer can also give a student an easy way to report a crime, such as a sexual assault.across the province, saying their benefits were unproven. She urged school districts to cancel the programs “out of respect for the rights of our students.
Greater Victoria was not the first school district in the province to end its program. In 2021, the Vancouver School Board also voted to remove police from its schools, after a third-party report raised concerns about discrimination. In the same year, the school board in New Westminster cancelled its long-standing liaison officer program.on a platform that included reinstating the program.
The force’s spokesperson, Cheryl Major, said Victoria now has seven active organized street gangs, which she said is more than police there have observed before.
School Program Victoria Schools Board City Statement Victoria Vancouver Saanich
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