Training officer Lloyd Maxwell embraces Constable Natalee Williams after receiving a plaque on behalf of the 30 school resource officers during the closing ceremony at Hotel Four Seasons in St Andrew last week Monday. In the background is Constable Wayne Wallace. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Thirty policemen and women, who are school resource officers, recently left a six-day interactive mediation workshop empowered with improved conflict resolution skills to confront the growing concern of student delinquency and violence.

The workshop, which was hosted by conflict mediation group Peace and Love in Society (PALS) at the Hotel Four Seasons in St Andrew, ended last week Monday.

The programme was aimed at teaching unconventional means of enhancing conflict resolution skills, in order to foster safer schools and break the culture of violence in Jamaican society.

Anger-management

Janilee Abrikian, general manager of PALS and facilitator of the programme, told The Gleaner the curriculum focused on anger-management techniques, understanding, coping and resolving conflict, causes of conflict and types of conflict.

Most activities were done through role play, which required the participants to communicate non-verbally.

Abrikian said one of the challenges for school resource officers was to unlearn combative strategies inherent in the tough policing on Jamaica's streets, balancing that zero-tolerance approach with mediation and restorative discipline.

School resource officers are a core component of the Safe Schools Programme, aimed at involving the police force in tackling crime and violence in the public education system.

The trainees were also taught to place greater emphasis on identifying the underlying problems which lead to student crime.

High praises

Several of the cops had high praises for the sessions, explaining that the tenets of teamwork and shared learning were conveyed.

"We have been empowered with skills to make our schools safer and we will impart to the students what we have been taught," said Corporal Gregory Bennett.

Constable Patrick Thomas of the Hanover Police Division said the programme taught him new and unconventional ways of brokering conflict resolution.

To show their appreciation for the PALS team, the 30 officers pooled their resources, had plaques made and presented them to the trainers who piloted the programme.

Abrikian, Norman Thompson, Rolando Street and Lloyd Maxwell constituted the training team.