Throughout my high school years there was always a police officer stationed at my high school, and most students were glad that he was there for us. But lately there are talks of revoking the policing program for schools, and I strongly object to the idea.
Opponents of the program say they feel being spied on, and that their freedom is infringed upon by the police presence. But frankly most of us did not have these concerns when we were students, because we knew that as long as we didn’t do anything illegal or out of line, we wouldn’t be in trouble.
Things such as bullying, threat of violence, and gang recruitment do occur in school, and having an officer to turn to is a lifeline in these difficult situations. On a personal note, a classmate tried to get me into drugs when we were still freshmen in grade 8 – I declined and she didn’t press on; both of us knew full well then that having an officer on site definitely had a deterrent effect, even if the officer wasn’t actually involved in the incident.
On a brighter note, the officer certainly served as a positive role model at my high school, and some students even had aspirations to join the police force after they graduate.
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