Petrina Francis, Education Reporter
A SECURITY survey conducted by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has revealed that four schools, primarily in inner-city communities have been affected by extortion.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Norman Heywood, coordinator of the Safe Schools Programme, operated by the JCF, told The Gleaner on Wednesday that the security survey was conducted during the first four months of the Safe Schools Programme.
He was speaking to The Gleaner during a symposium on the Safe Schools Programme held at the Jamaica Conference Centre.
The study found that students formed gangs which demanded payments from fellow students to assure their 'safety'. Payments he said, were mostly demanded in the form of lunch money.
DSP Heywood noted that the Schools Resource Officers (SROs) , who are police personnel, were currently working with school authorities to identify the gang members.
VIOLENT INCIDENTS
In addition, the survey revealed that the SROs had to step in and deal with 420 incidents between September and December last year.
These incidents included fighting, wounding, attacks on teachers from outsiders, possession of illegal drugs, and possession of offensive weapons, among other offences.
The Safe Schools programme was introduced in more than 60 schools last September and involves the placement of SROs in schools.
While 114 schools are targeted to be a part of the programme, only 77 schools have SROs.
The findings of the survey also revealed that 57 per cent of the schools were situated in areas classified as 'volatile' or 'highly volatile'.
DSP Heywood said this could be one of the reasons why students were frequently found with offensive weapons. Seventy-one per cent of the schools identified outside intrusion as a serious problem.
Notwithstanding this, DSP Heywood said the Safe Schools Programme is "meeting its objective of creating a safe environment for learning".
Meanwhile, Professor Barry Chevannes, lecturer at the University of the West Indies, said if the police were still in schools after five years, then the programme would have failed.
Professor Chevannes, who was speaking at the symposium, rued the fact that there was need for such a programme.
