Armed police have been brought into NSW schools to reduce crime rates and educate students. The 40 School Liaison Police (SLP) officers have been allocated to public and private high schools across the state.
Organisers say the officers, who began work last week, will build positive relationships between police and students. But parent groups warned of potential dangers of armed police working at schools in communities where police relations were already under strain.
Among their duties, the SLPs will conduct crime prevention workshops, talking to students about issues including shoplifting, offensive behaviour, graffiti and drugs and alcohol. They can also advise school principals. One SLP, Constable Ben Purvis, began work in the inner Sydney region last week, Including at Alexandria Park Community School’s senior campus. Previously stationed as a crime prevention officer at The Rocks, he now has 27 schools under his jurisdiction in areas including The Rocks, Redfern and Kings Cross.
Constable Purvis said the full-time position would see him working on the broader issues of crime prevention. “I am not a security guard,” he said. “I am not there to patrol the school. We want to improve relationships between police and schoolchildren, to have positive interaction. We are coming to the school and giving them knowledge to improve their own safety.” The use of fake ID among older students is among the issues he has already discussed with principals.
Parents’ groups responded to the program positively, but said it may spark a range of community reactions. “It is a good thing and an innovative idea and there could be some positive benefits,” Council of Catholic School Parents executive officer Danielle Cronin said. “Different communities will respond to this kind of presence in different ways.
Armed forces have been applied in NSW schools to reduce crime and will conduct workshops to guide the schoolchildren about specific offenses and will teach them safety traits; However, parent groups were under impression that it will increase the tension among the students and the police but gradually they have responded in a positive way.
Armed police have been introduced into NSW schools to educate and build positive relationships with students with the aim of reducing crime rates; however, some parents’ groups are against the idea.
Although one set of people think School Liason Police or SLP is a good initiative for the students to understand various crimes and protecting themselves in threatening situations, the other set of people are not comfortable having an armed people in school; therefore, it is debatable to have SLP in a school campus.
The SLP officers are allocated to high schools with the intention of addressing the common child criminal activities and betterment of relationship between police and schoolchildren have received a mixed response from the parent group.
School Liason Police officers have been brought into NSW schools to build a positive relationship between Police and students by conducting crime prevention workshops with the agenda to lower the crime rates; however, different communities will respond to this kind of presence in different ways.
The school Liaison Police officers have been allocated to public and private high schools across the state; moreover, the School Liaison Police will conduct crime prevention workshops, offensive behavior, graffiti as well as drugs and alcohol, finally, different communities will respond to this kind of presence in different ways.
School Liaison Police officers have allocated to both public and private high schools across the state to reduce not only crime rates but also educate students; moreover, the SLPs will conduct crime prevention in workshops and graffiti, thus, different communities will respond to this kind of presence in different ways.
Organisers say the officers, who began working last week, will build positive relationship between police and students, and constable purvis said the full-time position would see him working on the broader issues of crime prevention, but the program positively, but said it may spark a range of community reactions.