Parents furious about school search done by CPF and police
"I don't understand how they can take a geometry set from a child who attends a technical school. The set was prescribed by the school at the beginning of the year and now it's been confiscated. "
A number of the parents of learners at Nic Diederichs Technical High School have expressed their concern about the raid conducted by the Krugersdorp Police and the Community Policing Forum (CPF) on Tuesday morning, 22 August.
According to comments on a Facebook post, parents felt that the CPF should not have been allowed to participate in the raid.
The parents claim that their daughters’ earrings and necklaces were also confiscated.
The News has also received various emails regarding the way the children were treated during the raid.
“Sekere kinders was ‘vergil’ en verneder voor hul skoolmaats oor hul kleredrag,” said one learner’s mother.
In a second independent email, another parent said: “From what we hear from our children, there was screaming involved and they were treated unfairly. ”
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A third parent also told the News about what had happened: “My daughter told me the school usually has a fire drill to prepare them in case of emergencies. The fire alarm was sounded and the children took their bags and went to the pavilion. They waited there for a while and then were suddenly separated. The boys went in one direction and the girls in the other. They were then told to remove their jackets and stand facing a wall with their hands placed against it. They were then frisked.”
Female CPF members and police officers frisked the girls.
After the girls were searched, their bags were also searched. Objects that are considered to be dangerous, such as compasses from their geometry sets and sharp scissors, were confiscated.
“I don’t understand how they can take a geometry set from a child who attends a technical school. My child has maths. The set was prescribed by the school at the beginning of the year and we had to buy it. Her blue-handled, round-pointed scissors were also taken. Apparently they were only confiscating sharp scissors. So why did they take her scissors?”
These claims have not yet been proven.
The News contacted the CPF, which provided the following statement:
“The CPF, at the request of the Krugersdorp Police and in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act, assists the police during crime prevention operations,” said Gert Jonker, chairman of the Krugersdorp CPF.
Anton Strauss, the school principal, was contacted, but didn’t want to give any comment. Strauss referred the News to the Department of Education (DoE). The News contacted the DoE and is waiting for their feedback.
Sergeant Tshepiso Mashele, spokesperson for the Krugersdorp Police, said that the school and the DoE were both aware of the searches.
“Remember, some learners bring dangerous weapons to school, so the searches are necessary,” said Mashale.
The questions parents are now asking are: Are CPF members allowed to search school children under the supervision of police officers? And, if the school prescribes these stationery items (geometry sets), why do they confiscate them from the learners later on in the term? They are also concerned that the CPF members have no proper frisking training, no jurisdiction, and no former experience.
Please note: None of the parents’ names have been used, in order to protect the identity of the children involved.
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