As armed police took up posts in high-risk schools yesterday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar vowed to tackle school violence, saying enough was enough and calling the initiative the beginning of the end for bullying and classroom violence.
Her comments came hours after the Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro toured several high-risk schools and warned parents to keep their children in check or else they will be imprisoned.
In a statement hours after school was dismissed, Persad-Bissessar lamented the fear students and teachers felt because of violence.
“Our teachers have become victims of assault and abuse by some students and parents. That will not continue. Any student or parent who abuses or assaults a member of the teaching staff will be removed from school by the TTPS,” she said.
She also highlighted the impact on students.
“Too many students are bullied, robbed and beaten at schools. To some children, it is a terror to attend school. We have children failing because they are too afraid to attend school, as they are bullied every day. It’s a daily torture for them,” she said.
Addressing the issue of armed officers in the high-risk schools to address security concerns, she stated: “No matter what some commentators say, the law remains the law and TTPS officers are free to carry their firearms inside or outside of schools if it is deemed necessary. Police officers report to their TTPS seniors and not the school principals. Therefore, acts of violence will be reported according to TTPS protocol and dealt with according to the law.”
She added, “Parents must understand that they have to raise their children responsibly and correct their conduct. TTPS officers are there to protect the innocent and will do so with the full support of my government.”
The Prime Minister also underscored her administration’s broader policy.
“Schools are sacred spaces for learning, not battlegrounds for fighting and bullying. During the election campaign, I pledged that my government would confront the scourge of school violence head-on. For too long, we have witnessed the decay of our society — our beloved nation awash in blood, plagued by record murder rates, and our schools tainted by violence, drugs, and fear,” Persad-Bissessar said.
“That is why my government acted decisively. We made it clear that anyone who engages in violence, threats, intimidation, drug dealing, extortion, or bullying will face the full force of the law. I promised that we would purge our schools of this destructive behaviour by every legal means available. The people of this country have had enough — enough of school brawls, enough of wickedness in our classrooms, enough of fear in our communities. Law and order is being restored.”
She commended the CoP, saying the move to have police in schools was part of a holistic, integrated approach to tackling violence across the nation. (Trinidad and Tobago Guardian)
