Liaison officer helps replace stolen bikes
Two Sooke School District students have had their stolen bikes replaced, thanks to one of the liaison officers from West Shore RCMP.
Const. Mark Hall was speaking with a staff member at Westshore Secondary and found out about the situation, including the fact that the students relied on their bikes for transportation.
With that, he approached the Metchosin Fire Department, which he knew has a program to refurbish abandoned or stolen bikes that are found by police.
If police can’t find the rightful owners within 90 days, the bikes are given to the fire department. From there, the department and others in the community fix up the bikes and distribute them.
Metchosin Fire Chief Stephanie Dunlop said the bike program started with Langford Fire Rescue, and her department became involved a few years ago.
Hall said that police were happy to get the students back on their bikes “just in time for the great spring weather.”
“The smiles on their faces when they received the bikes made my day.”
Sooke School Board chair Amanda Dowhy said that partner agencies such as the RCMP and local fire departments “are such positive forces in our school communities.”
“This story is just one example of many ways they care for our students, and we are grateful for their support.”
The Sooke and Saanich school districts both have liaison officers from local police departments in their schools, while the Greater Victoria School Board voted to cancel its liaison-officer program last spring — saying that a police presence can be uncomfortable for some students.
The program hadn’t operated in the Greater Victoria School District since 2018 due to budget issues for the police, but there were indications that police wanted to bring it back as soon as last September.