New school term in Trinidad opens with increased police presence to curb violence

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A new school term opened on Monday in Trinidad and Tobago with Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath declining to identify the institutions where police officers will be stationed, as the authorities move to curb the increase in violence at schools across the country.

Last week, Dowlath acknowledged that officers with firearms will be deployed at some high-risk schools, and later told reporters the names of these schools would not be disclosed.

“We don’t want to stigmatise them and put it in the public domain as yet, [although] I know people will eventually find out by visual identification,” Dowlath said, adding, “We have to take measures to make sure everybody is protected, and these schools, they need that support right now.”

Last week, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) announced that the first cohort of 95 Special Reserve Police (SRP) Officers trained under the School-Oriented Policing Course had graduated.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Administration and Operational Support, Natasha George, told the graduands that they were pioneers and were being entrusted with the country’s most valuable resource – its children.

She said that for far too long, school violence and anti-social behaviour had been having a negative impact on he education sector.

“Today, we are taking decisive steps to change this narrative, and the initial deployment of 95 specially trained SRP officers, strengthened by 25 Community Policing Officers trained as Field Training Officers, confirms our commitment to restoring schools as safe, disciplined, and supportive spaces for growth.”

The TTPS said that the officers underwent specialised training designed to prepare them to effectively support schools in maintaining safe, disciplined, and nurturing environments.

It said the initiative forms part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing community policing strategies and ensuring safe and supportive spaces for children.

It also represents a significant step in strengthening the partnership between law enforcement and the education sector, “and equips the officers with the tools, competencies, and knowledge necessary to engage effectively with students, teachers, and communities, while upholding safety, promoting trust, and supporting positive youth development”.

Dowlath said that while it is hoped this layer of security will not be necessary in the near future, “right now, for those 50 schools, I think it’s imperative that we have that kind of measure”.

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA), Martin Lum Kin, said that while the association supports the initiative, “we are not in support of officers having weapons at these high-risk schools”.

He said the TTUTA is still awaiting a copy of the new policy governing the programme.

Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander said that police officers stationed at schools would not be armed with guns, but with non-lethal weapons, to ensure the security and safety of the students.

“For a police officer, the firearm is a tool of trade – like the cutlass is a tool of trade for the coconut vendor – but there are certain times that you would need to operate in a particular way to get the best result.

“As you would say, you are treating with children. Some of them may behave very strangely, but at the end of the day, they are considered children under the law. Therefore, they must be treated as children according to what the law says. We don’t want to violate that,” Alexander told reporters.

However, he acknowledged that there might be situations where it could become necessary “to have the appropriate equipment there to treat the situation”.

“There are times where the officers would have to adapt to a situation that might need a level of stern confrontation. [In that situation] that will be addressed. We have a system that can adapt to any situation that confronts law enforcement.”

President of the National Parent Teachers’ Association, Walter Stewart, expressed concerns about officers being armed with guns at certain secondary and primary schools, noting that there had been no history of gun violence in Trinidad and Tobago’s schools to warrant the introduction of armed officers.

“This sends a worrying message and signals the perception that our students are criminals. This reflects negatively and throws a damper on not only the school climate, but can also cause untold anxiety, thereby disrupting the students’ focus and attention on learning.

“This act appears to be an overreach and overreaction. This unnecessary measure can result in more harm than good,” he said, while stopping short of condemning the initiative for police presence.

He said that, according to reports by the Ministry of Education, there were over 21,000 suspensions from 2022 to 2025.

“This, coupled with the social media coverage of escalating school indiscipline and violence over the last academic year in particular, is what has convinced the association to concur with the Ministry of Education to introduce the deployment of police officers in certain designated schools.”

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