Victoria council to call for reinstatement of school liaison officers

The City of Victoria has added its name to the list of municipalities calling for the reinstatement of police liaison officers in the Greater Victoria School District.

Councillors on Thursday narrowly approved the call, with a vote of 5-4 on a motion to have Mayor Marianne Alto write a letter to the head of the Greater Victoria School District requesting reinstatement of the program while asking for the rationale behind the cancelling of the program.

The letter will be copied to the province, First Nations and other municipalities that house the district’s schools.

Alto said the motion was meant to capture what she’d heard from her council colleagues — that there is a diversity of opinion on what is a sensitive subject.

She said the tone of the letter would be similar to one penned to the school district by Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock two weeks ago.

Murdock, who was directed by a unanimous council vote, wrote that Saanich recognizes “the sensitivity of the program for some students and families. Their concerns must be managed with respect and care. Council encourages the board of education to consider modifications to the program that address those concerns and ensures the safety of all students.

“We know that the board has to consider a lot of factors when it comes to school safety. Council requests that the board give consideration to implementing a modified version of the school liaison program.”

The Greater Victoria School Board voted unanimously last year to end its police officer school-liaison program.

It was a move opposed by both Victoria and Saanich chiefs of police, who warned gangs are recruiting in local schools.

At the time, school board chair Nicole Duncan said trustees had to consider the “trauma and harm” that police presence can mean for some students, including those who are Black and Indigenous.

The decision followed a 2022 letter to the B.C. School Trustees Association from B.C. human rights commissioner Kasari Govender recommending that school-liaison officers no longer be posted at schools until the need for them can be proven.

The program hasn’t been run by Victoria police since 2018 due to budget cuts. But Chief Del Manak, a former school-liaison officer himself, has said he would like it to be reinstated.

The Saanich School District and the Sooke School District continue to have liaison officers.