Age based and risk focused are two of the working factors to the success of the Delta police’s student liaison program.
Established in 1971, the DPD currently has six liaison officers that work throughout the community at South Delta’s two high schools and 10 elementary schools, North Delta’s five high schools and 14 elementary schools and the communities’ private schools working with more than 17,000 students.
“The goal of our liaison officers is to strive to create a safe learning environment in our schools by forming partnerships with our students, staff and school administrators,” said Sup. Harj Sidhu during a presentation of the program to Delta council on April 29. “We are constantly evaluating our crime prevention programs to ensure that the initiatives and strategies are aligned with the needs of our citizens and our communities.”
The liaison program works in coordination with the DPD’s crime prevention strategy implementing a four pillar approach including engagement, environment, education and enforcement.
When it comes to engagement, the DPD interacts with youth through several programs including adopt-a-school, student ambassador program, after-school drop-in, the student police academy and the Yo Bro/Yo Girl peer-coaching program.
Officers also actively engage with youth at all grade levels to discuss the challenges around social media, mental health issues, drugs, and youth at risk.
They are also involved with school safety including school emergency procedures, site evaluations, and drills, debriefs and parent advisory.
“We always want to be proactive when it comes to interacting with youth and some of the issues and challenges there are having and building those relationships early on through engagement,” added Sidhu. “Where ever we can engage and have positive interactions, especially at the younger levels is very important. We want to look at ways to provide support and we have been very successful thanks to our partnerships from the school district and from Delta council.”
Const. Mike Atkinson has lived in Delta most of his life and when he became a Delta police officer saw the need to be involved with youth as a liaison officer.
He said this program matters because officers help ensure school safety, promote positive relationships, build social responsibility, assist youth at risk and build resilience in youth.
“As I became a police officer, getting to work in the school liaison section was the epitome of the community policing model,” he said. “We start in Kindergarten and go right to Grade 12. Students get used to seeing us in full uniform when we interact with them. It can be simple things like sitting a reading a book with them, or tell a story. I’ve been in pie eating contests, been in dunk tanks at school fundraisers – a good way for the kids to have the chance to interact with us maybe before it’s a time of crisis and then they are comfortable with us.”
