Don’t rely on watchmen; get security guards

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Saying it is impossible for the police to patrol every school, a senior cop is urging the education ministry to replace watchmen with professional security guards and put cameras in place. Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels, who heads the St James police division, offered the advice during a discussion on the recent spate of burglaries at educational institutions across the parish. Samuels was responding to an appeal from Councillor Anthony Murray (Jamaica Labour Party, Rose Hall Division) during the St James Municipal Corporation’s monthly meeting last Thursday. “What we’ll be asking, though, is for the Ministry of Education to put back in place proper security at the schools. Most times they have a watchman, and a watchman may not be adequate enough to cover the kind of infrastructure of a school,” Samuels stated. Investigations continue into what the senior cop said appeared to be organised burglaries. “For the break-ins in the schools, we realise that this has to be a coordinated operation based on what was stolen and the times and everything,” he said. Councillor Murray, who is principal of Barrett Primary and Infant School, said the institution was among several recently targeted by thieves. “Based on my count, about eight schools within the parish would have been broken into. The last two was mine and Nazz [Children Centre] over the weekend and the attempt at Corinaldi [Avenue Primary School],” he stated. Several other schools across western Jamaica have also reported burglaries in which thieves stole essential resources such as computers and solar systems. Among the affected institutions is Bickersteth Primary School, which had to close for two days because sections of the building were so badly damaged during the robbery. During Thursday’s meeting, Murray called for increased police support to help protect schools from further incidents. “What mechanism can be put in place so the different stations may put some of their resources in patrolling, or some form of intervention where they can include these educational institutions as part of their patrols, especially at nights?” the councillor asked Samuels. While Samuels expressed a willingness to provide additional support, he pointed to resource constraints that made it difficult for the police to offer the level of coverage required. “We’ll definitely try and ramp up how often we visit the schools, but just understand that we have mostly one patrol within that space,” he said. While he acknowledged that schools have limited funds, he suggested that they look into investing in security measures such as a “proper security guard” and cameras. “I know that their budget is a bit squeezed, but security is important in all that we do,” Samuels added.