Protocol to improve safety in schools

Image source: Yuliya Shangareeva – 123RF.com

“Our country’s future rests in the hands of our children. And as parents, first and foremost, we all desire the same thing - that our children live good, meaningful lives. We know that a solid education is the foundation of that good life,” Mchunu said.

Collaborative Implementation Protocol

He was speaking at the launch of the Collaborative Implementation Protocol between SAPS and the Department of Basic Education in Cape Town on Tuesday.

Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Mchunu jointly unveiled the Collaborative Implementation Protocol, pledging to create safer, child-friendly learning environments amid high statistics of violence.

The Collaborative Implementation Protocol between SAPS and the Department of Basic Education is aimed at improving safety in schools around the country.

This document will be a practical guide to bring urgent action in every district, in every province and in every school.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the SAPS, in 2011, formed a partnership to safeguard schools from crime and violence to protect learners and teachers.

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Roles and goals

A new implementation protocol was necessary to clarify each party’s roles, ensure a proper division of work plan activities and to ensure the protocol’s objectives are executed effectively at local level. This will also include implementing joint SAPS and DBE led crime prevention programmes within schools.

The protocol focuses on the following goals: promoting collaboration between the DBE and SAPS to implement pillar two of the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy (ICVPS) for early violence prevention and connecting schools with local police stations for swift responses to crime and violence.

In addition, the protocol includes conducting searches and seizures in line with the South African Schools Act (Sasa), when there is a reasonable suspicion of illegal substances or weapons; combatting social ills such as school-related Gender-Based Violence, sexual abuse, alcohol and drug use among learners; and addressing gangsterism in schools and surrounding communities.

Mchunu said there was a need to supplement the existing minimum safety standards in schools and that the Protocol served as one of those measures to strengthen safety and security in schools.

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Not victimless crimes

“During school holidays especially, we see a rise in burglary and vandalism. These are not victimless crimes. They rob our children of resources, time, and opportunity,” Mchunu said.

Criminal elements disrupt the education process and destabilise the very environments meant to nurture growth.

“As government leaders, elected by the people of this country, we carry a constitutional duty to realise the rights enshrined in our Constitution. The right to safety, the right to dignity and the right to education are not negotiable.

“These rights must be protected and upheld in every schoolyard, in every classroom and in every community.

“For us in the SAPS, our mandate is clear, to ensure that South Africans are and feel safe. But policing is not a one-department responsibility. It requires what we call a whole of government, whole of society approach.

“That means government institutions must work hand in hand. It means that communities, parents, civil society organisations and schools must come together and actively participate in efforts to make our environments safe and resilient,” Mchunu said.

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Community involvement

Mchunu said the Protocol was designed to promote a community-based, inclusive approach to school safety.

“There is a need to establish functional communication lines between schools and police stations.

“To this end, the Protocol formalises the linkage between schools and their nearest police stations, ensuring that we have timeous, coordinated responses to incidents and proactive interventions to prevent crime,” he said.

To fully give effect, there is a need to recognise the urgent need to ensure that police stations are well resourced to adequately respond to incidents and that policing is proactive, responsive, efficient and effective.

“We cannot do this without parents, they must be active participants in the fight against crime starting in their own homes, in their streets and in their communities.”