Sunshine ECI in Oracabessa, St Mary will become the first early childhood institution in Jamaica to see the establishment of a police youth club (PYC).
This was revealed by island coordinator of the Safe School and PYC Unit of the Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB) of the constabulary force, sergeant Tanecia Johnson.
Sergeant Johnson was speaking at the St Mary CSSB’s safe school stakeholders conference held at the Casa Maria Hotel, Port Maria.
Police youth clubs are established in 33 schools in Kingston and St Andrew.
According to Sgt Johnson, the creation of police youth clubs in the early childhood institutions was geared towards dispelling the fear often created by parents in young children about the police.
“When we (the police) go inside the basic school classroom, the kids are just running away from us and it makes me feel so sad
and most times it is the adults contributing to it. One thing they seem to do and they don’t know it is wrong and that is they tell the children that if you don’t behave yourself, a going make the police lock you up. So if we don’t curb that, every time they see the police they are going to believe that we will lock them up,” she explained.
Along with the 33 schools where police youth clubs now exist, there are plans for the establishment of more clubs, this time in Manchester in October and St Thomas in November.
She added that a police youth club should be at the basic school level through to the high school system until they join the general police youth clubs. There are over 400 active police youth clubs located across 19 police geographic areas across Jamaica.
Other objectives of the PYCs in schools include reducing the disciplinary referrals and suspensions and improving the school environment but making it conducive to teaching and learning.
In addition to the PYC movements in the schools, other initiatives to be used by the police to target the students include a mentorship programme, the Safe School Tours and the Culture Walk.
The Safe School Tours have made stops at schools in St Mary including Horace Clarke High and Oracbessa High. The tours involve ‘men with a message.’ These are men, who are reformed ex-convicts, who talk to the students about their experiences.
