By Damion Mitchell and Lisa McKay, Gleaner ReportersHUNDREDS OF students from the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Manchester marched for more than one mile from the institution to the Mandeville town centre yesterday, to protest against the recent violent attacks against students of the university.
Joseph Burrowes, a 22-year-old Bahamian student at NCU, went missing more than one week ago. His decomposing body was found five days later near the Winston Jones Highway in Manchester.
The march, which lasted for more than two hours, culminated in the Cecil Charlton Park, with several addresses by university representatives and the police.
"NCU students are being targeted by criminal elements and we won't sit in a box like strangers," Ryan Wigan, president of the university's United Student Movement, told the gathering. He added: "We won't tolerate this and we are standing up for what we believe."
INCIDENTS OF ROBBERY
According to Carlton Maddix, NCU director of campus safety, within the past two weeks, there have been four reported incidents of robbery and one case of rape among students of the institution. He said, however, that the incidents occurred in communities near to the university. At the same time, NCU has announced increased security measures.
Mr. Maddix, a retired assistant commissioner of police, told The Gleaner yesterday that a private security company had been contracted to conduct patrols and to respond to emergency calls.
Superintendent George Quallo, commanding officer for Manchester, told students at the march that the police would be increasing their patrols in communities adjacent to the institution between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. and between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., while uniformed police personnel will be placed on campus to work with the campus security.
