Increased Patrols by SROs When New School Year Begins

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) says there will be increased patrols by School Resource Officers (SROs) when the new academic school year begins on September 7.

Speaking on the JCF’s Force for Good Podcast recently, National Safe Schools Coordinator, Sergeant Andrew Williams, said it is the responsibility of the SRO to patrol school zones.

“We have divisions which are doing exceptionally well as it relates to school patrols. We have in St. Catherine North the ‘Learn, Not Loiter’ campaign. We have in the St. Thomas division, ‘Operation Nuh Linga’. So, the school resource officers understanding the dynamics, have come up with creative names for patrolling the school zones,” he said.

“We must keep our students safe, and so you will see, from time to time, several divisions launching what we call ‘No loitering’ campaign. Now the divisions themselves will do an assessment as to what is happening. Do we have more students loitering this time of the morning? Do we have them loitering at this time of the evening? Now if a division is having some sort of challenge, you will often hear them call on the headquarters. They say we are doing our campaign and we’d love some support, and that’s what we do strategically, support our divisions,” he added.

He further stated that “we do have those campaigns going on and come September, you’ll see even more of the SROs patrolling the school because we do need that”.

For his part, Sub-officer in Charge of the St. Catherine North Community Safety and Security Branch, Sergeant Kester Fennel, said one of the primary foci for the ‘Learn Not Loiter’ programme is about ensuring that students are getting to school safely and they are returning home safely.

“So, we are out there in the mornings. We are monitoring the buses and the taxis that they are taking and we’re ensuring that they are getting to school on time, because that is also important.

One of the things we have had to do also is, we have had to call in several parents for students who we have recognised are chronic late goers,” he said.

“So, the reality is that in St. Catherine North Division, parents are now aware that the programme is ongoing and they’re also aware that if your child is out there loitering during school hours, you are going to get a call from the police to come and pick them up at the station, because your child was loitering. We’re also working with the schools closely,” he added.

Sergeant Fennel noted that when students are late for school, the police will call the Deans of Discipline “and we get the names and we advise them of these students, and we call in the parents as well”.

“Sometimes even us, the police, we transport the students ourselves just to ensure that they are getting there safely. And we’re out there targeting those loitering areas, the places where they tend to go and hide away from school and where they go to idle in the mornings before going to school and after school,” he said.

“I can also say that the people within St. Catherine North support the initiative because sometimes when we are not aware of some of these locations, we have our citizens who are providing that support and helping us to get that information. I must commend you,” he added.

Sergeant Fennel noted that students will often loiter, as they do not want to participate in devotional activities.

“I saw a video that went somewhat viral of a policeman engaging and saying, ‘oh you’re sculling general devotion’? [We will have] general devotion right here. So that is something that we do, too, because we understand that when it comes on to development, it’s holistic. So, therefore, we have devotion with them right there on the road, until the buses come to pick them up to take them to school,” he said.