Dear Editor,
Call 911! That's right, call the police. What's the matter? Well, I'll tell you - there's a fight going on in one of our schools.
Remember the good old days? A fight was just that - a fight with fists and legs flailing about. There were no guns or knives; it was just a good old rumble. Nowadays that is not the case. These children today are getting out of hand. These fights are so dangerous now that it is not enough to call a security guard to break up the fight. The school authorities have to call the police to deal with the matter. The previous PLP administration saw fit to station the police at our schools. There was no need to call Central. An officer should have already been there. I would pray to God that, that police officer was well armed, or else he/she would have found himself/herself at a disadvantage.
I don't know the policy position of this new FNM administration as far as stationing police in our schools.
But how did this whole imbroglio evolve into fights with guns and knives? The students who have these weapons must make it a habit to bring them to school with them. And (I suspect) that these same students cannot resist the temptation to reveal to other students that they are "packing heat". News spreads, and soon enough most of the students in the school know who not to fool with. Can you believe that? So, tell me, where are the prefects in these schools? Where are the students who participate in the police cadets program? I am certain that if news is circulating about these nefarious culprits, then they too should get wind of that same information.
I was told by two police officers that the police even have "pimps" in the schools. Where are they? What's my point? Well, the prefects, the cadets and the secret cadets should be able to identify these students who are carriers of dangerous weapons even before the fights start, thereby avoiding a situation where the police have to be called to diffuse volatile states. The guilty students, who were only looking for trouble, could be charged and removed from the schools and disciplined.
And, it is my humble opinion that these prefects, cadets and secret cadets should be paid on a regular basis for participating in maintaining the peace in their respective schools. If they were not motivated before, they would certainly be motivated if they know that they will be paid for their services. Come on, let's put these students to work, and start ridding our schools of these young criminals. However, a word to these student police - your education always comes first. It is paramount.
- Marvin G. Lightbourn
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