Bright pink shirts and a utility belt complete with a 9mm pistol are two things that don’t often go together, but they will for the month of February at the Central Saanich Police Department.
The detachment has chosen to support Pink Shirt Day which is a campaign dedicated to raise awareness of bullying in schools and communities all over Canada.
The nation-wide initiative was inspired by two Grade 12 students, who in 2007 decided to take action after witnessing a younger student being bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. The students bought 50 pink shirts and encouraged schoolmates to wear them and send a powerful message of solidarity to the bully.
Five years later, the Pink Shirt Day campaign continues to raise awareness and provide education and funds for anti-bullying programs in B.C. and Western Canada.
“What we’re doing this year is working with CKNW and Coast Capital Savings in support of the anti-bullying movement through the month of February,” explained Corporal Pat Bryant, who’s leading the campaign at the detachment.
The Central Saanich Police will be selling a limited number of pink shirts complete with the Pink Shirt Day logo on them for $6 up until official Pink Shirt Day which happens Wednesday, Feb. 27.
Bryant has also commandeered employees at Thrifty Foods in Central Saanich to wear the shirts on the official day, as well as the employees at Fresh Cup Coffee in Central Saanich to wear pink shirts for the week leading up to Feb. 27. The company will also donate 25 cents from every cup of coffee sold that day to the cause.
“It’s important that our kids get the education about anti-bullying in the schools but we also want to bring it out into the community because bullying can happen anywhere,” explained Bryant, who said that all the proceeds raised by the detachment from shirt sales and Fresh Cup Coffee from beverage sales are going to the CKNW Orphans Fund.
Pink shirts can be obtained by dropping by the Central Saanich Police station at 1903 Mount Newton X Rd. or by calling the detachment at 250-652-4441.