School safety blitz yields troubling findings
Kagiso police confiscated several prohibited items during a school safety raid in the area.
Members of the Kagiso police, Gauteng Traffic Police and Traffic Wardens conducted a joint operation at schools in Kagiso as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of learners and educators.
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According to acting Gauteng Police spokesperson Tintswalo Sibeko, several prohibited items were confiscated during the operation, including space cookies, an okapi knife, a knobkierie, hookah pipes, drugs, a self-made metal object, and pepper spray.
Several learners were also issued suspension letters, and disciplinary processes will be initiated against them following school and departmental policies. To add, the programme is part of a collaboration between police and the Gauteng Department of Education.
Sibeko added that school safety is often a critical obstacle to learning.
“Crime, violence and abuse affect all aspects of our community, and schools are not always free from fear, intimidation or victimisation. The Department of Basic Education, in partnership with the police, is committed to preventing, managing and responding to incidents of crime and violence in schools.
Prevention and early intervention are the most reliable and cost-effective ways to support schools in consistently delivering teaching and learning in an environment that is physically and socially safe,” he said.
Schools are encouraged to establish and maintain a Safe School Committee.
According to Sibeko, the committee consists of internal stakeholders of the school, such as learners, educators, School Governing Body members, and school security personnel. External role players include the police, the Metropolitan Police, local ward councillors, social workers and Community Policing Forums.
