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Bid to fight crime in schools

A L E RT : MEC for safety, security and liaison Dikeledi Magadzi speaks to the media about a plan to fight crime. Pic: ELIJAR MUSHIANA. 23/06/2009. © Sowetan.
A L E RT : MEC for safety, security and liaison Dikeledi Magadzi speaks to the media about a plan to fight crime. Pic: ELIJAR MUSHIANA. 23/06/2009. © Sowetan.

AN AMBITIOUS joint venture between the department of education and of safety, security and liaison, to post one police officer in each school to fight crime in Limpopo schools, has been launched.

AN AMBITIOUS joint venture between the department of education and of safety, security and liaison, to post one police officer in each school to fight crime in Limpopo schools, has been launched.

The initiative is aimed at fighting contact crime among pupils during and after lessons in all Limpopo schools.

The initiative, launched yesterday, comes after a report that young boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 17 constituted the majority of those committing crime inside or outside school premises.

The report was submitted to the education department and South African Police Service in the province for action to keep the situation from getting out of hand.

New MEC for safety, security and liaison Dikeledi Magadzi announced she would allocate a cop to every school in the province, including those that had no crime statistics before.

"They will search pupils if they suspect they have dangerous weapons or drugs, guard the schools and educate children about the beauty of having a crime-free school and society," Magadzi said.

She acted swiftly on receiving the report and called on relevant government departments and community stakeholders to find a way of fighting crime in schools.

She said police officers would be available on toll- free number 0800 546767 every day.

The province has a total of 12561 police officers and a quarter of them will be deployed to 4 015 primary and secondary schools.

Magadzi said the move would not deter the police from focusing on community work.

It would rather reinforce their efforts in fighting crime in communities and schools where juvenile delinquency and contact crime were embedded.

Provincial department of education spokesperson Ndo Mangala said the move to teach children about crime in their schools was the right one in the right direction.

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