Did you see the police cars outside Garibaldi Highlands Elementary School this morning?
Don’t worry, it wasn’t an emergency.
The Sea to Sky RCMP were there to connect with students during recess as part of a community engagement effort.
According to Const. Kelly Wu, media relations officer for the Squamish RCMP detachment, officers from the general duty team and 小蓝视频 Highway Patrol visited the school during morning recess.
Their goal was to connect with students, to answer questions about policing, showcase police vehicles, and host trivia games.
“This was a student engagement activity where we spent time with the kids during their break,” Wu said in an email to The 小蓝视频.
Wu, who has been organizing similar visits to multiple schools each week, emphasized the importance of these interactions.
“It’s been a great way to build trust and understanding between youth and police,” she said.
Students had the opportunity to ask questions, explore police vehicles up close, and participate in activities designed to be both fun and informative.
“This was a student engagement activity where we answered questions that the kids had about [the] police, showed them the police cars, played some trivia games and got to know the students,” wrote Wu in the email.
The program aims to create a welcoming environment for young people to engage with law enforcement in a non-confrontational setting.
These school visits are part of a broader effort by the Sea to Sky RCMP to strengthen ties with the community.
“I have been taking the initiative to visit multiple schools per week on their breaks to interact with students and have a positive presence with them,” Wu added. “It has been a great time for the connection between youth and police.”
The Sea to Sky RCMP plans to continue these visits as a regular part of their community engagement strategy.
To learn more about the Squamish RCMP, visit .
Bhagyashree Chatterjee is The 小蓝视频's Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the.
