School Safety Resource Officer
The Bridgewater School Safety Resource Officer (SSRO) aims to build a trusting relationship between the police and youth from grades primary to twelve, in the hopes of assisting those youth at risk of offending, and those at risk of being victimized before an opportunity presents itself. Our focus is to be pro-active rather than reactive.
The program combines education, investigation, law enforcement, counselling, crime prevention and community relations to meet the diverse needs of residents in the school community. The SSRO program’s users include students, staff, parents, the community and the Bridgewater Police.
Our target population is the youth of the town of Bridgewater in attendance at the three schools under our jurisdiction. Through partnerships with the schools, Family Services, Restorative Justice and Parent/Teacher Advisory groups we hope to be able to maximize problem solving strategies and provide early intervention to at risk children.
The student population in Bridgewater is approximately 8,241. Between students and staff, the School Liaison Program will reach about 2200 individuals, more than a quarter of the population of Bridgewater. Partnerships between parents, schools and outside agencies should help build and establish communal support for youth at risk.
WITS
The WITS Programs bring together schools, families and communities to create responsive environments that help children deal with bullying and peer conflict.
WITS has two parts: 1.
WITS Primary Program – Teaches Kindergarten to Grade 3 children to
Walk away, Ignore, Talk it out and Seek help when faced with peer conflict. The acronym also provides a common language that children and the adults around them can use to talk about and respond to problems.
D.A.R.E.
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) Program provides education and support for our youth to make healthy and informed decisions when coming face to face with social pressures on drugs, alcohol, smoking and bullying. The students have an opportunity to improve personal self-esteem, self-confidence and enhance pride when facing these types of decisions.
