RCMP descend on UBC Okanagan for ‘Coffee with a Cop’ on campus – Okanagan | 24CA News
Students on the University of British Columbia Okanagan had a uncommon likelihood to speak something and all the pieces police-related with RCMP officers on campus Monday morning.
It was a part of the Coffee with a Cop, which provides the general public the possibility to interact with police.
“We know that they’re a really valuable service,” stated Cade Desjarlais, pupil union vice-president exterior. “And they have lots of connections and interactions with our students and so it’s important that we have these kind of informal settings where our students get to meet an RCMP officer and kind of get a story behind, you know, the uniform.”
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In this case, it was UBC Okanagan that requested the occasion to happen on campus.
“We really want to just have students and staff engaged with the RCMP, ask them some questions that they’ve always wanted to ask a police officer and just kind of break down that barrier to understand that RCMP are here as friends and as protection,” stated Robyn Boffy, the neighborhood security supervisor at UBC-O.
Fatima Canales is a global pupil from Mexico. She welcomed the chance to talk with the RCMP.
Her space of concern is the Okanagan Rail Trail, which she makes use of recurrently to get to class however doesn’t at all times really feel protected on.
“When it’s darker, I feel very vulnerable there,” Canales stated.
Igancio Benito, a third-year microbiology pupil, additionally had a prolonged chat with one of many officers.
He wished to thank them for the work they do and be taught extra in regards to the challenges they face.
“Their experiences dealing with people, with the issues that plague our community, versus the issues I see as a civilian on my day to day,” Benito stated.
While subjects of conversations various and even included some college students asking about careers in legislation enforcement, security was high of thoughts for a lot of, particularly within the wake of a March 17 assault on a global pupil at a public transit bus cease.
“That concern is prevalent in the minds of all students,” stated Desjarlais. “When they’re taking public transit, when they’re walking by themselves late at night, you know, there are important resources that we need to improve safety and security.”
Even although the assault occurred off-campus, the coed union wish to see extra RCMP sources devoted particularly to the college, as is the case on the UBC campus in Vancouver.
In February 2022, a 24-year outdated safety guard was killed whereas on obligation on the Kelowna campus.
Harmandeep Kaur died within the early morning hours of Feb. 26 after being attacked.
Dante Ognibene-Hebbourn is going through fees of second-degree homicide. He was working the night time shift as a janitor on campus.
The case goes earlier than the courts this April.
“Our campus is growing,” Desjarlais stated. “Increased supports and dedicated resources to our campuses is something I would be interested in and advocating for…and I think some of the more recent events show that we need increased security for our students.”
The pupil inhabitants on the Vancouver UBC campus is sort of 5 occasions the dimensions of the Okanagan’s and has an RCMP detachment on web site.
While there are not any such plans on the Kelowna-based college, discussions are underway on create extra of an everyday police presence on campus.
“There are almost 10,000 students. They have 3,000 living on campus and then they have the Academy Way development there that are mostly students, so yeah, having police presence here is probably, in the future, going to be addressed.”
That’s one thing many college students stated they’d welcome.
“I think if there were one or two officers on campus that we could refer to, that certainly wouldn’t be anything terrible, it actually would be appreciated,” stated Benito.
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