Cops in schools ‘not yielding desired results’

Having police in SA’s schools doesn’t work‚ the Department of Basic Education told Parliament at a briefing.

According to a departmental statement issued on Tuesday‚ the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education was told that “experiences of violence at school…are common throughout the country”.

But “police in schools didn’t yield the desired results as this approach has been shown to increase mistrust in the police‚ undermine respect for authority‚ negatively affect concentration and school performance”‚ the statement said.

It also often led “to profiling and targeting of certain at-risk learners who require interventions other than those bringing them into contact with the law”.

Armed security guards fared no better‚ said Dr Granville Whittle‚ the deputy director-general for care and support‚ and had “no effect in identifying and mediating potential conflict‚ and have been shown to have little effect in preventing gun violence”.

Having “zero-tolerance approaches to drugs‚ alcohol and violence” was also a problem‚ Whittle contended‚ as they “are more likely to exclude children from the formal education system‚ increasing risk of further and more serious contact with the law”.

To make “a real impact on school violence” required looking “beyond the schools”‚ the department statement said‚ and “achieving safe school environments is only likely to happen when school safety is integrated as a fundamental component of local safety strategies‚ and when the role and commitment of all stakeholders is recognised and secured”.