Police Liaison Officers

In the most simplest of terms, the answer is yes police liaison officers in schools (PLOs) WITH an updated framework to create:

Safeguards for community members.
Better measurable outcomes and clear targets.
Integrate other roles and community programs.
Create consistency across our entire district.

What I would like to see is a more comprehensive team supporting schools as well – this would look like the MYST out of Saanich. A plain clothes police officer (working 9-5 during school hours), a counsellor and a social worker – with a clear mandate of supporting our most vulnerable students. Community members who already know have rave reviews of the Gang and Exploitation Prevention Counsellor on this team – a team approach is what makes schools safe.

Facts

The police liaison program is currently reinstated.
The program currently has more aspirational goals – not clear metrics on how it is making schools safer.
The funding for the PLOs is provided by the municipalities – Victoria PD, Saanich PD and Oak Bay PD – and the Westshore RCMP respectively.
The Police Act mandates that police will enter schools during critical or dangerous incidents.
The PLO program is not the same as police response during those critical incidents.

The lack of funding and subsequent oversight creates issues for the school board in being able to update and improve how schools are made to be safe. There is also a lack of consistency in how officers are approaching the police liaison with the schools in the municipal boundaries.

Concerns with Police Departments

I want to recognize that police officers do use unnecessary and excessive force, and that is deeply concerning to me. I would like more of a framework governing how, when, and why officers are showing up on school grounds. To be clear, there are concerns with officers using excessive force and escalating incidents through forceful response, and that concerns from community members are valid and must be handled with care.

Furthermore, if the PLO program is meant to improve community relations then WE MUST recognise the concerns of community members who, either through historical trauma or direct experience, do not see

How to make improvement?

The first thing is to recognise who the PLOs best serve. The most important relationship between the PLO and school administration (principles and school counsellors). As an example, if a student is dealing pot or other paraphernalia on grounds it is best dealt with in collaboration with the PLO (and I would like to work towards more counsellors) rather than just calling 911.

The New Westminster school district ended the PLO program about 4 years ago, and just bright it back under a new framework. I would like our district staff to reach out to New Westminster to engage and see what elements can be added to strengthen and make a more comprehensive program here.

My goal here is to work on how the police can enter and be present on schools while reflecting those families and community members who find police presence concerning, this can look like:

notification to families.
set dates and times police will be on school grounds.
attire (plain clothes).
and most importantly, clear understanding of what the police are doing on school grounds

New Westminster have taken the lead in this space and shown that improving these relationships can be achieved!

To be clear, I think that police play a role in school safety by supporting our administrators understand how are vulnerable youth are being targeted. AND the PLOs are not solely responsible to make schools safe. I would like to see a comprehensive team, inclusive of counsellors and social workers, focusing on school safety. And that the PLOs are working during school hours and solely focused on that role.

Q&A

Question	Finding
Does the SD61 PLO program have stated goals?	Yes, but they are broad and largely aspirational.
Are officer activities and responsibilities described?	Moderately, with limited connection to when, how, and why they will be on school grounds. Mostly connected to building relationships.
Are there measurable school-safety targets?	Not clearly.
Is there an annual review process?	Yes.
Are there metrics that isolate the effect of liaison officers on school safety?	No.
Is there reliable historical SD61 outcome data?	No adequate baseline was identified.
Does broader research conclusively show that liaison officers make schools safer?	No. Evidence remains limited, mixed, and highly dependent on program design.
Can positive relationships or perceptions still be valuable?	The strength of the perception is based on listening to the community, AND is different from proving reduced violence or victimization.