Local police services have different plans as province pushes return of cops to schools

CBC

5 days ago

As the Ontario government moves to bring police officers back into schools, two local police services share different reactions to the news.
While the St. Thomas Police Service (STPS) is on board with the idea of bringing back School Resource Officer (SRO) programs, the London Police Service (LPS) expressed less interest. Nonetheless, both police services said officer engagement with students is an important priority.
"I think that this is the right step forward," said Marc Roskamp, the St. Thomas chief of police. "[The new bill] would allow police officers back into the schools and the traditional school resource officer program."
Roskamp's endorsement follows closely behind Education Minister Paul Calandra's announcement of the Supporting Children and Students Act, which aims to consolidate ministry oversight over school boards and requires the return of SRO programs if local police offer them.
In 2021, the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), the largest in the region, paused its SRO program and, in 2024, resolved not to re-initiate it due to concerns from students over surveillance and feelings of unease.
The STPS has been vocal in its dissatisfaction with removing SROs and has also reported an uptick in officers being called to schools. Following a firearm scare at a school in January, Roskamp told reporters those incidents have risen by 55 per cent since 2021, with officers now attending schools once every two days.
In his eyes, the police are a clear part of the solution to the problem.
"Presence is deterrence," Roskamp said. "Whether expected or unexpected, visits to schools might reduce those incidents of violence, and what we're talking about is assaults, sexual assaults, bullying, it's all happening."
That's not to imply deterrence is the only goal of officers in schools, he added.
"When we're in the schools, it's never been about enforcement or intelligence gathering. It's always been about high fives and smiles and interacting and engaging with youth."
Roskamp said his police service is engaged with local school boards and is working to "re-establish, refresh and reimagine the role of the school resource officer."
London Police's response to the question of whether they would offer an SRO program to the board included an effort to distance the force from official SRO programs.
"We have moved away from the title 'School Resource Officer' and instead focus on broader community engagement," said Peter Testa, head of the LPS community mobilization and support branch.
Testa said the LPS has worked closely with school boards in the city to support students, with the goal of promoting positive behaviour and enhancing safety through "mutual respect."
He also said the LPS supports boards without the use of an SRO program "by having our officers attending and presenting when requests are made."
Regardless of the intentions as stated by police, some students remain opposed to police presence in schools in general.
One of those students is Shivani Vimal, who is in grade 11 at the TVDSB's Lord Dorchester Secondary School.
"I firmly believe that police officers do not belong in schools. I believe there's a time and place for security personnel, but schools are spaces for learning, growth and trust, and that's just not the place for police officers," she said.
A common thread in opposition to officers in schools, especially as stated in the past by previous TVDSB student trustees, is a concern that students from marginalized communities could be made doubly uncomfortable by police presence.
"I just feel that it would harm BIPOC students, and it would impact them a lot more than people think," Vimal said.
Vimal said the opinions of her peers seem to be divided. However, the prevailing thought is that students "don't want to feel like they're being watched. And they also believe that police officers in schools might just escalate situations."
She said she'd rather see funding for social workers and counsellors as a solution, but if the police do return, the process needs to be student-centric and collaborative.