By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage said the government is doing what it feels is right to combat the “significant” problem of school violence by re-introducing the school policing programme.

Responding to doubts that the programme will actually reduce crime in schools, Dr Nottage said serious crime has taken a dip since the government took office and the same is expected to happen in schools once the policing programme takes effect this September.

“The Ministry of Education approves it, the Bahamas Police Force approves it, the teachers’ union approves it, the teachers managerial union supports it, we support it, and it will come into effect,” he said.

“Our job is to keep the schools safe and we will do whatever is necessary to do that.”

As for concerns that having police officers stationed in schools will compromise the disciplinary role of school administrators, Dr Nottage stressed that will not be the case as the officers will be there to deal with instances of violence and the “integrity” of the schools will remain intact.

“The enforcement of discipline will continue to be the responsibility of the school’s management – the principal,” he said. “But, we will have in the school system the means to deal effectively and quickly with the problem of school violence – which is significant and which adversely affects the ability of students to get their proper education.”

The National Security Minister said the government “feels very certain” that implementing school policing is what is correct for the country, despite criticisms from supporters of both opposing parties – the DNA and the FNM.

“The DNA and the FNM have nothing else to do but criticise,” Dr Nottage said. “I don’t blame them but they’re not in charge of the problem, we are, and this is our response.

“If you want to be fair and you look at what has happened to the incidence of crime with the measures we have introduced to date, I think that we are not doing badly. I think there has been a reduction in the number of the significant crimes and we expect that to be reflected with our school policing measures, as well.”

This past weekend, DNA chairman Mark Humes said the plan to have the police force “once again invade our public high schools” is evidence the Christie administration is blind to the realities of delinquency in the education system.

“This act of putting armed police officers on our public school campuses to pre-empt or cut the rate of violence and delinquency among our middle and high school students is a knee-jerk farce.

“It is not only a crying shame, but it is also a show of unimaginative laziness on behalf of this administration and the education leaders who support the initiative,” he said.

Mr Humes called on supporters of the programme to explain how police will be more effective in rooting out criminal activity in the school system than school administrators and the teachers “who interact with these students on a consistent basis and who should be the ones empowered for the responsible management and operations of the school system”.

He also warned about giving students the impression that they are “bad” and in need of being under police control, as this will erode their respect for authority to an even greater extent than is already the case.