{"id":58628,"date":"2025-09-18T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=58628"},"modified":"2025-09-18T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T18:30:00","slug":"rcmp-officers-taking-new-approach-with-east-hants-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=58628","title":{"rendered":"RCMP officers taking new approach with East Hants schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
[metaslider id=”56501″]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

EAST HANTS:<\/strong> Students and staff across East Hants will be seeing more of their local RCMP officers in schools and the community this year, thanks to a novel approach to school safety and policing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the population growing and 11 schools in the district, having just one school safety resource officer was no longer working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff Sgt. Mike Balmaceda recognized the challenge and introduced a hybrid model that combines school safety responsibilities with community policing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means Const. Andrew Ouellette and Const. Mike Woolcock will now share the workload. Ouellette will cover six schools from Shubenacadie through Enfield, while Woolcock will take on Mount Uniacke, Rawdon, Hants North, and Noel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast year, it was tough for one officer to get around to 11 schools,\u201d Ouellette said. \u201cNow, we can divide them up, be more hands-on, and still support each other when needed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[metaslider id=”56530″]<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
[metaslider id=”56376″]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The two have already hit the ground running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the first two days of school, they teamed up with watch members to conduct radar and bus patrols after a rise in red light violations last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had a lot of problems with people passing school buses when they were picking up kids,\u201d said Ouellette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an issue, along with speeding in school zones. So right away, we made sure we were visible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building relationships in schools<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Woolcock, new to East Hants, the role brings an opportunity to continue work he has done in other detachments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always believed the police are the community and the community is the police,\u201d he said. \u201cIt only works if we share information, share experiences, and have those good conversations back and forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping Andrew and I can be approachable \u2014 whether someone wants to just talk casually or bring a specific issue to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Const. Ouellette, who is starting his third year working in local schools, said familiarity and visibility are paying off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I walk into a school now, kids aren\u2019t asking, \u2018Why are the police here?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cInstead, it\u2019s, \u2018Hey Constable,\u2019 with fist bumps and high fives. That\u2019s what we want \u2014 for kids and staff to feel comfortable and see us as approachable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that being active in community sports has helped build trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve coached soccer with East Hants Soccer, basketball with the Tigers, even rec basketball,\u201d Ouellette said. \u201cBy the time I walk into a classroom, there\u2019s usually four or five kids who already know me. That breaks down barriers right away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[metaslider id=”56506″]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Safety drills and presentations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside relationship-building, the officers will continue important safety work in schools. Twice a year, they will update and practice emergency \u201csafe plans\u201d and Code Blue lockdown drills, ensuring staff and students are prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presentations will also be a big part of their role, especially for grades 4 to 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnline safety is a major focus,\u201d said Const. Ouellette. \u201cMost kids are on social media, often unsupervised, and that can become dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to teach them how to behave, what to watch out for, and educate parents too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presentations will be tailored to each school\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see issues in grades 4, 5 and 6, like bullying, we focus on that,\u201d Const. Ouellette explained. \u201cBy the time they\u2019re in grades 7, 8 and 9, it shifts to harassment, because at that point, you\u2019re old enough that there can be criminal consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drug awareness, stranger danger, bus safety, and other age-appropriate topics are also on the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teachers are encouraged to reach out if they see a specific need in their classrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[metaslider id=”56191″]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Extending into the community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new model also frees up time for the officers to be present at community events \u2014 something that wasn\u2019t always possible before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so many things going on \u2014 hockey games, school sports, food drives,\u201d said Const. Ouellette. \u201cI never had time to do all of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, with Mike and I dividing and conquering, we can adjust shifts and get out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Const. Woolcock agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese are positive opportunities to interact with people and show that we\u2019re just normal members of the community too,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s an event people want us at, we\u2019re open to that. We just need the invitation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[metaslider id=”56511″]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Both officers said their goal is to create connections that last beyond the school walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll these kids eventually become adults,\u201d said Const. Ouellette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we\u2019ve built that positive relationship early, it spreads into the community. That\u2019s what this is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An open invitation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pair encourage community groups, schools, and residents to reach out if they\u2019d like to see RCMP at an event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to be more visible in the community where we live, shop and hang out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust let us know what you need, and we\u2019ll try our best to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[metaslider id=”56509″]<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EAST HANTS: Students and staff across East Hants will be seeing more of their local RCMP officers in schools and the community this year, thanks to a novel approach to school safety and policing. With the population growing and 11 schools in the district, having just one school safety resource officer was no longer working. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[965,957],"tags":[9237,5917,5966,196,1581,967,690,315,14,9238],"class_list":["post-58628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-east-hants","category-news","tag-community-policing","tag-const-andrew-ouellette","tag-const-mike-woolcock","tag-east-hants","tag-east-hants-rcmp","tag-hants-north","tag-kennetcook","tag-mount-uniacke","tag-rcmp","tag-school-resource-officers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=58628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/58629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=58628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=58628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=58628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}