POLICE STILL IN COMMUNITY PROMOTING PREVENTION

Following the leave of Port Alberni's RCMP school liaison officer, it
has been decided that the position would be nixed and that position
would now be turned to crime prevention.

The RCMP has taken a uniform member, who is trained, to complete the
Drug Abuse Resistance Program in schools.

Students who are used to seeing Cst. Theresa Thomson in classrooms
will now be introduced to Cst. Shelley Schedewitz, who has recently
been trained in the DARE program.

The primary focus was to ensure our commitment to the school district
and the DARE program," Staff Sgt. Kevin Murray said. "There is some
additional time throughout her work week which will allow for
facilitation of community policing or crime prevention work if necessary."

Schedewitz has been meeting with schools and scheduling times to
deliver the remainder of the DARE program that wasn't covered in the
fall. She has 13 classes scheduled that will begin next week.

"The theme of a school resource officer is to provide a proactive and
positive presence in the schools," Murray said.

The return of a school resource officer or liaison officer depends on
the return of bodies or positions left vacant last year because of
city budget purposes.

"If we do have a position returned, then that position will be
utilized in the school resource capacity," he added. "We are hopeful
we will get a position back."

The school resource position was a dedicated resource for the
district schools. A large component of that was the delivery of the
DARE program, which only happens at some points of the year for a few
hours in classes.

The officer also provided lessons on stranger danger, Internet
safety, bullying and other topics relevant and important to school
boundaries. The officer also occasionally participated in parent
advisory meetings, working with district representatives to bring in
whatever education and resources were requested.

"Sometimes it's just school visits, just a figure that kids can
relate to and see in a positive light. We are someone they can always
go to for safety and they can always talk to and tell when
something's not right," Murray said.

Each school may have its own concerns specific to the area or types
of activity going on with students, he added.

"They need to know that the police are their friends, and we're
working to make sure they're safe and their families are safe, so
when they get into their teen years, the kids can recall the officer
was a good person, and hopefully they can return to that," he said.

Murray added that when kids run into the law, their vision of
policing often changes and can be cast in a negative light.

Although police won't have as strong a presence in schools, they are
still in the community, volunteering their own time.

"We are community members too, and that's what people need to
understand," he said. "We are going to be back in the face of the
community, letting them know that we are there and we need their help
engaging in crime prevention."