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By Dylana Kneeshaw

SCHOOL SAFETY

School District 73 increasing security measures around Beattie Elementary

Nov 10, 2020 | 4:05 PM

KAMLOOPS — After an increase in problematic incidents along the Columbia Street West corridor, School District 73 will be improving security measures at Beattie Elementary.

Concerns were raised by parents following several police involved incidents in the neighbourhood and drug paraphernalia regularly found in the vicinity.

As laid out in a school board meeting last night (Nov. 9), S.D. 73 Superintendent Terry Sullivan says the district will be implementing a number of security measures.

“We’re improving the lighting, we’re installing exterior cameras to the property, we’re sealing off some holes in fences and so on. And just generally continuing the night patrols we have with respect to our security. That has reduced the number of issues that were seen in the area as well. We’re re-keying the building. We’ve needed to do that because we’ve had the theft of a teachers purse at one point.”

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Sullivan notes that the city also pledged to enforce its nuisance bylaw, which urges property owners in the area to take responsibility for tenant behaviour and deal with damage costs to the community.

“We expect the cameras, the improved lighting, some of the other things that we’re going to do, plus with the City’s application… RCMP are of course very supportive and very conscious of what we’re doing. I think with all of those things I expect that we’re going to see a very significant improvement.”

The district says it will be assessing how effective the new measures are in the coming weeks.