St. James police chief urges Ministry of Education to increase security provisions at schools

 

The St James Police are appealing to the Ministry of Education to implement adequate security measures at schools across western Jamaica following a spike in break-ins.

 

Several primary schools across St James have reported break-ins in recent weeks, raising concerns about the safety of school property and the need for stronger security.

 

Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels, commanding officer for the St James police division, spoke on the issue at the recent monthly meeting of the Municipal Corporation.

 

He said, while the police have been paying more attention to critical infrastructure, there has to be a coordinated approach to addressing the problem of break-ins, "based on what was stolen and the times and everything."

 

He added that, while the police will seek to increase the frequency of visits to schools, "just understand that we have mostly one patrol within that space."

 

"What we'll be asking though is for the Ministry of Education to put back in place proper security at the schools. Most times they have a watchman, and a watchman may not be adequate enough to cover the kinda infrastructure of a school that is there. So a recommendation that we have been making is for schools to put in place in their budget to have a proper security guard and systems in terms of cameras, et cetera."

 

Last month, the Ministry of Education reported that there had been burglaries at six primary schools in St James and Hanover since late August.

 

President of the Jamaica Teachers Association La Sonja Harrison has called for a comprehensive review of the security needs of schools across the island.