Prince Albert police hand out positive tickets

There are a lot of parallels between Prince Albert police and a group of students at Ecole St. Anne School.

Both groups resolve conflict, wear uniforms when on duty, and are sometimes called “peacekeepers.”

Members of the school’s Peacekeepers Program volunteer their time on the playground to resolve clashes before teachers need to step in.

One of St. Anne’s teachers alerted police to the program, which fits perfectly with a new police initiative called “positive ticketing.”

Officers issue tickets to youth who are seen or nominated for their good deeds through the Positive Ticketing Program.

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They give out rewards like Raiders tickets, burgers, fries, ice cream, movie tickets, and more.

On Wednesday Prince Albert Police Chief Troy Cooper and Sgt. Brandon Mudry recognized members of the peacekeeping program at St. Anne’s December assembly.

They handed out the tickets with a smile to more than 10 students.

Peacekeepers on patrol

Lots of the problems on the playground revolve around sharing, in Grade 8 peacekeeper Tess Koeberlin’s experience. She described one of her memorable moments with the younger students she helps out.

“There was a disagreement on the swing set and they both wanted the high swing because they don’t like the small swing and I was like ‘well, why don’t you take turns?’”

She had to help them figure out how long each turn would be, but in the end the problem was solved without a teacher.

That’s not always the case though, said Grade 6 peacekeeper Roksolana Horal.

“There were kids outside and one of them took the ball from the other person and they were, like, fighting… we had to get a teacher because they weren’t even getting along.”

Horal acknowledges there aren’t that many differences between police officers and peacekeepers.

“They’re doing the same job except a more advanced job,” she said.

When Cooper addressed the crowd of students, he pointed out the connections officers have with the community.

This includes coaching sports and volunteering.

He pointed out to students that the Prince Albert Police Service used to be called the Prince Albert Police Force.

“When people think about the police normally, especially if you’re watching TV, what do you see police doing? They’re arresting bad guys, chasing them around with cars. We do some of that, that’s true. But for the most part the job of a police officer is to protect the peace, to keep people safe. And sometimes people call us peace officers.”

Koeberlin said officers in uniform aren’t an intimidating presence.

“We might be doing something bad when they [officers] come up but often I see them smiling and you’re just like ‘oh, I guess they’re not that bad.”

claskowski@panow.com

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk