The Free State departments of education and police, roads and transport, in partnership with the national department of police, have launched a project to improve safety at schools following incidents of gang violence as well as other violent crimes in schools throughout the province.
Deputy minister of police, Makgotso Sotyu, national police commissioner, Riah Phiyega, Free State MEC for police roads and transport, Butana Komphela, and MEC for education, Tate Makgoe, launched the school safety programme in Botshabelo on Monday.
January 27 is an annual police day celebrated by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the country. This year, the day was celebrated in Botshabelo, Free State and to highlight the importance of building partnerships between police and schools.
The launch of the school safety programme follows a memorandum of understanding signed between the national departments of police and education in 2011. The two departments agreed to work together to improve safety in schools throughout the country.
Makgoe attributed the success of the province, which achieved close to 86 percent matric pass rate last year, to securing the safety of schools through the excellent partnership between schools and police stations in communities across the province.
“In this community of Botshabelo, we have serious problem of gangsters who interrupted the process of learning and teaching. But the visit by the police today to these schools that have performed well even under the difficult circumstances sends a message to leaners that the national police commissioner cares about their safety and police will protect them.
“Learning and teaching can only happen under an environment that is safe and secure. The good achievements of previously non-performing schools show that if our kids are given enough support they will excel and make the country proud,” said Makgoe.
During the launch, 12 schools in the province received computers. Five of the schools are in Botshabelo. Each school received two computers while eight police stations got computers and 40 bicycles.
The five high schools that received computers are; Popano, Reamohetse, Seemahale, Lefikeng and Ntumediseng.
MEC Komphela, vowed that the provincial government is committed to ensure that schools in the Free State are free from crime and violence.
“We have committed ourselves to ensure the safety of our children in schools throughout the province. In the Free State, no police will be killed by a criminal. We will make sure that stability and peace reign in this province,” said Khompela.
The community outreach programme is set-out to achieve, amongst others these objectives, the improvement of the functionality of community police forum structures; enhancing the functionality of sector policing and improving the confidence of the public in the police’s ability to combat crime in the country.
Meanwhile, Phiyega said police teams will be deployed to their adopted schools from today to create awareness among teachers and learners about how the programme will be implemented. School safety committees will be established in schools throughout the country. These committees will be made up of parents, police, members of the community, teachers and community policing forums. The Free State is the first province where the initiative will be rolled-out.
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