MOUNTIES PATROLLING A NEW BEAT THIS YEAR - SCHOOLS FULLY BEHIND MORE
POLICE IN THEIR HALLS

Students in Grande Prairie could be seeing red more often in school
this year - red serge that is.

When the bell rings next week, it will mark the start of a one-year
pilot project that will see RCMP tripling their presence in local
schools. Three officers will serve as school-resource officers this
year, up from one and the schools couldn't be happier.

"I'm quite excited for this opportunity ... I hope the interaction
(students) have with the RCMP is more proactive than reactive," said
Wanda Gerard, principal at Peace Wapiti Academy.

The increased police presence isn't because of one single incident or
crime in past years, but rather is the result of a several years of
lobbying by the school boards and a commitment from the RCMP
detachment to pay more attention to youth issues and needs, said RCMP
Cpl. Riz Suleman.

"Youth is a priority, we need to give them more attention," he said.

But more attention doesn't come cheap. It's not uncommon for school
boards across the province to split the cost of additional police
officers between boards and the police themselves. However, in this
case, the Grande Prairie RCMP have funded the increase 100 per cent -
a commitment of roughly $120,000. Police and the school boards hope
having more uniforms on campuses will deter illegal activity before
it even starts and allow police to educate youth who can be easily
influenced by others.

Public school board superintendent Chris Gonnet said there will
always be drug and alcohol concerns at and around high schools, and
more police can help convince unwelcome guests to leave the area.

"A more visible presence will have an impact on traffic in and out of
the school," he said in reference to the Composite high school.

Suleman agrees that nothing keeps drugs and alcohol out of schools
like the sight of a police cruiser parked in front, or perhaps an
officer in civilian clothing just walking around to observe.

"I'm not going to say it's rampant but there is substance abuse
around the schools," he said. "We'll be using many different methods
for enforcement."

But it's not just the city's three high schools police will focus on.
Mounties will visit elementary schools to teach the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education (DARE) program. Officers will also tour junior
high schools to interact with students and establish relationships.

Karl Germann, superintendent with the Catholic district, said early
feedback from parents and staff is they love the idea of RCMP being
around to meet and talk with the students.

"The response has been overwhelmingly supportive," he said.

Gonnet said every year the public schools run a student survey where
one of the questions asks them how safe students feel in school. He's
hoping students will respond to the officers as much as anyone and
feel more secure.

"The overall thing is to help make our students feel safer in the schools."

Gerard said the one previous officer assigned to the schools was
always there when needed, but random visits would become fewer as the
school year went on and the officer become busy with specific cases
or problem students. More officers will mean students can learn to
see police not as the heavy hammer of the law, but someone students
can talk to and learn from, she said.

"You want someone who will come in as an enforcer ... but someone who
will work well with the students," she said.

The pilot program and additional funding will be re-evaluated later
in the school year.