Minister Currie: “We cannot ask school guards to disarm people”

The minister responded on Wednesday, ahead of the Council of Ministers meeting, to the robbery at public school (O.S.) Welgelegen, in which two teachers became victims.

“We cannot ask school guards to disarm people,” Currie stated. According to the minister, extreme caution must be exercised in such situations, because the ministry does not want to encourage violence. School guards must also not be placed in circumstances in which their own safety is at risk. “The guards should also not be manoeuvred into such a situation that risks arise,” he stressed.

Currie acknowledged that security at schools poses a major challenge. According to him, however, a distinction must be made between regular school security and protection against armed criminals. “When we talk about securing a school, we cannot speak of security against armed people.”

Preventive measures and camera surveillance

The minister stressed that the emphasis should be on preventive measures to improve safety in and around schools. In that context, discussions have been held, according to him, about installing Safe City cameras near schools. This should make it possible to detect suspicious situations in time and take preventive action.

In addition, Currie is calling on society to play a more active role in protecting educational institutions. He pointed out that schools are regularly targeted by burglaries, in which materials are stolen and the perpetrators are often not identified. The minister therefore calls on citizens to remain alert and immediately contact the police when they observe suspicious situations or burglaries at schools.

Protecting schools is a shared responsibility

According to Currie, the safety of schools is not solely the responsibility of the ministry, but of society as a whole. He stressed that everyone can contribute to protecting educational institutions and the children who attend them. “Everyone must contribute to protecting the schools, because our children are in the schools. The children do not belong to the ministry, but to the entire country,” the minister said.