Vancouver School Board to vote on police officer program

B.C.’s human rights commissioner is amongst these against a movement that might see Vancouver reinstate the controversial College Liaison Officer program, which stations police in metropolis faculties.

On Monday, the Vancouver College Board is about to debate and vote on bringing again a “reimagined” model of this system – which was reduce in June of 2021 – by the start of the following faculty yr.

Introduced by ABC trustee Preeti Faridkot, the motion would make good on the occasion’s campaign promise to reintroduce this system.

“The election of a brand new College Board on Oct. 15, 2022, and the demonstrable lack of neighborhood consensus surrounding the discontinuance of the SLO program, affords the incoming board a chance to implement a reimagined SLO program that addresses the wants and issues of scholars and stakeholders,” it reads, partly.

In 2021, the board commissioned a third-party report that discovered college students had a variety of experiences and perceptions of this system however that destructive experiences and perceptions have been much more pronounced amongst college students who’re Black, Indigenous, disabled, LGBTQ, and low-income. Faridkot’s movement mentions this report, asking that the brand new program “takes into consideration the considerate inputs and alternatives” contained inside.

ABC has a majority on the college board.

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER RESPONDS

In a letter to B.C.School Trustees opposing SLO packages in the entire province’s faculties, Commissioner Kasari Govender particularly mentions the VSB’s impending vote.

“It’s troubling that the VSB movement implies, with out proof, that SLOs are essential for college and neighborhood security and that tweaks to the SLO assemble will probably be ample to handle neighborhood issues of hurt and discrimination,” the letter reads, saying the transfer to carry again this system could be made “over the objections of marginalized voices.”

Additional, Govender says in terms of security in faculties and help for college kids, there are alternate options to police – resembling counsellors, substance use educators, and restorative justice facilitators.

Final week, the board heard from dozens of audio system on the problem. Those that supported this system emphasised the optimistic relationships college students constructed with particular person officers and the necessity to stop and reply to points like bullying, medication and gang recruitment. Whereas acknowledging that totally different college students expertise the presence of police in another way, proponents of this system mentioned they’re assured change scan be made that may assuage the issues raised by college students, mother and father and communities prior to now.

These opposed echoed the issues voiced by incumbent faculty trustees and summarized by Govender.

“Indigenous, Black and different marginalized college students—in addition to their mother and father and communities—have raised important issues concerning the hurt brought on by having police in faculties.”

A SPIKE IN YOUTH CRIME, VIOLENCE?

In her movement, Faridkot cited “a marked enhance in incidents involving Vancouver youth” and a “notable enhance in youth-involved violence that she claims corresponds to the top of the SLO program. In help of that, she cited a number of statements made by the Vancouver Police Division.

The VPD doesn’t launch youth-specific crime statistics as a part of its quarterly report back to the police board. Nevertheless, youth have been talked about within the Third Quarter replace, saying a number of incidents involving bear spray have been linked to “youth-involved violence.” It additionally notes analysis exhibiting the destabilizing and destructive affect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on younger individuals within the metropolis and past.

Data from Statistics Canada on youth crime consists of each incidents by which costs have been laid and incidents by which youth have been diverted out of the legal justice system. The latest report, which covers 2021, notes that nation-wide these numbers have been trending downward for many years.

The Youth Crime Severity Index, which measures each the amount and severity of crime involving youth accused has fallen 50 per cent in Canada since 2011.

In British Columbia final yr, the YCSI was 26.9 – the second lowest within the nation behind Prince Edward Island, and considerably decrease than the nationwide common of 41 per cent.

The determine represents a year-over-year drop of eight per cent and a lower of 55 per cent during the last decade.