Vancouver School Board Votes to Bring Police Back to Schools

A Vancouver Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform in Vancouver, on Jan.9 2021. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

The Vancouver School Board voted Nov. 28 to reinstate the School Liaison Officer (SLO) program. Officers are to return to the schools by Sept. 2023. 

The program ended early last year after some said it has negative impact on the members of the visible minority community. Four days before this decision was made, B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender sent a letter to school trustees saying, “It is incumbent on you to produce independent evidence of a need for SLOs ... [and] to address the concerns raised by Indigenous, Black and other marginalized communities.”

Trustee Preeti Faridkot disagreed at the Nov. 28 school board meeting with claims of racial profiling in the SLO program.

She said between 2017 and 2019, there were 322 total crimes handled by SLO in the schools. Only three charges were laid on indigenous youth and two on black youth. “Given this information, it simply cannot be said that the VPD [Vancouver Police Department] SLO program is complicit in any level of racial profiling.”

She argued that having police in the schools also helps build a relationship of understanding between the police force and youth. “I’m confident that we can continue to make things better if we work together,” she said.

Trustee Chan Pedeley said, “I believe that a significant decision such as this cannot be rushed. We have already seen how polarizing this topic has been.” She suggested taking it to a committee discussion before voting.

Trustee Suzie Mah also said the decision was happening too quickly. “It took over a year to dismantle this program,” she said.

The board had recently heard more than 70 testimonies from people who had experience with the SLO program.