Today’s report on the arrest of a 14-year-old student with weapons once again illustrates the continued issues with violence in and around local schools on both sides of the island. Those responsible in the education field together with local authorities are undoubtedly doing what they can to stem the tide, but
the issue is not likely to go away any time soon.
There is no need to over-dramatise what happened on Thursday and the items found aren’t exactly AK-47 assault rifles, but the situation is nonetheless serious After all, knives, scissors and flare-guns can cause major injuries or even death.
The police logically informed the parents, for whom the incident hopefully will be a “wakeup call” to take whatever measures are needed and stop their child from doing these things in the future. Nobody got hurt this time, but things easily could have turned out quite differently.
Improving security at local institutions of learning remains a priority, for the protection of both staff and the student body. In addition, one can hardly expect good results if teachers and children feel unsafe.
But it’s not just at school, because fights and other illegal activities regularly take place outside the gates, especially before classes start or after they end. Efforts to maintain order in those areas during these times are ongoing and deserve broad support from the community to send a clear message that aggressive behaviour simply won’t be tolerated.
Another place where such problems often occur is inside school buses. That is one of the reasons Government’s proposed regulation of this sector mentions as requirements GPS systems to track the whereabouts of the vehicles and electronic passes so only those authorised to make use of them can do so.
The latter aspect is important, even though the related public bidding process for the service has been put on hold due to concerns about the current bus owners and operators losing their livelihood. They obviously will need a longer period to adjust and prepare for the envisioned changes, including their cost, but also should understand that ultimately enhanced safety is in everyone’s best interest.
