Monique Hepburn, Staff Reporter

WESTERN BUREAU

FIVE SCHOOLS in St. James have been selected to be part of the new safer schools programme being facilitated by the Ministry of Education and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

The schools were introduced to their school resource officers (SROs) on Monday at the start of the new school term.

Montego Bay High School, Cornwall College, Farm Primary and Junior High, St. James High and Anchovy Comprehensive High have been selected to benefit from the programme, which will place police officers on 60 school campuses islandwide, according to a recent announcement by Education Minister Maxine Henry-Wilson. "The role of the officers in the schools will be to support and assist the schools' administration to work with stakeholders in coordinating school activities that help in the reduction of violence and anti-social behaviour," Corporal Evan Parkinson told The Gleaner on Tuesday.

"The officers will be required to maintain records and keep the force's community relations department up-to-date of activities in the schools," he added.

IDENTIFY AND MONITOR

According to Corporal Parkinson, the officers will be placed in schools according to a schedule worked out with the JCF and the schools' administration. They will also be required to identify and monitor areas on school compounds that pose potential dangers to students. Faith Clemmings, principal of the Montego Bay High School, told The Gleaner that she was eager to utilise the officers in her guidance counselling programme, in order to make her students aware of potential dangers both on and off the school's premises.

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