Police say they have intensified their efforts to clamp down on students engaged in violent clashes across the Corporate Area but as they do so they are seeing a number of worrying trends emerging in and around educational institution.
Police said in the last month they have been called in to investigate more than three clases of students from opposing schools going against each other, one of those incidents have even led to death of a child.
The most recent was a clash between students from Mona High School and Calabar. The incident resulted in school administrators closing Mona High for two days. While over in St James a 14-year-old student was attacked and stabbed to death following an altecation with another student.
Superintendent Marlon Nesbeth, Head of the St Andrew Central Police Division, is one of many police officers trying to deal with the islandwide problem and in an interview with Loop News he said one of the worrying trends that police are monitoing has to do with students carrying around uniforms from other school and wearing them when they have confrontation with other students.
Police said another worrying practice involves irresponsible people using social media to spread false information to spread fear among members of the public.
Vice principal of one school has not only confirmed reports from the police but said he has received reports of people, who have left school, watching videos that are showing students in altercations and then deciding to put on the uniform of schools that they (adults) support and then going out on the road to incite violence.
Superintendent Nesbeth in an interview with Loop News said that over the last month police have been called in to investigate a number of clashes.
The most recent was with students from Calabar and Mona High School.
” We have been getting reports about these incidents and have been working to address them,” said Nesbeth.
Police said they are also working to bring persons behind some of these attacks to justice,” Nesbeth said.
Nesbeth said police have also had several meetings with different stakeholders, parents and teachers from various schools to take a broader approach to clamping down on the issue.
“Cases of false information circulating over the internet is creating problems and we are calling on internet users to be more responsible,” another officer from Half Way police station.
Watch as the principal speak about the issue.
Vice principal of Mona High also supported the call and also took time out to speak about how violence has affected activities at the school in recent days.
