NCPTA supports cameras in secondary schools

Any call for security cameras to be placed in secondary schools is being supported by the National Council of Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA).

 

However, head Shone Gibbs insisted that there must be several discussions as to how these would be implemented.

 

His comments come as last month, the Caribbean Association of Security Professionals recommended to the Barbados Union of Teachers and the Minister of Education that amongst several other things scanning devices and closed-circuit television cameras be implemented in schools to address security issues.

 

“We do believe that something must be done to assist in returning discipline, rule and order within the school system,” Gibbs told the media during an interview at Sandals Barbados.

 

Gibbs stated that the functionality of the cameras must be debated because there was the need to intercept contraband heading into the school, while also keeping a close eye out for those seeking to infiltrate the compound.

 

He also urged the country to become proactive in preventing issues, rather then reactive after the fact.

 

“We need to take preventative action and not responsive because the camera will record things that have happened and we need to move in the direction of prevention, where if they are breaches along the fence, they need to be repaired (or) if there is a need for more security officers then we need to have that in place because we must remember in most schools at any point in time we have over 500 persons between students and teachers and everything must be done to preserve their safety,” Gibbs argued. (JMB)