Police in Bulawayo contemplate school searches for drugs, weapons

Police in Bulawayo said on Wednesday they were contemplating carrying out regular searches for drugs and dangerous weapons in schools to stamp out the growing culture of violence and illicit drug taking in the institutions.

The police move comes in the wake of a recent alleged knife murder of a high school student by another in the city, which prompted nationwide soul-searching, especially by parents and educational authorities.

In an interview with New Ziana, Bulawayo Province police spokesperson, Abednico Ncube said regular searches in schools for both drugs and weapons were being considered as a possible way of curbing the twin vices.

Illicit drug taking has also become a big problem in schools around the country, prompting police and other law enforcement agencies recently to launch a nationwide crackdown.

“We are considering carrying out some searches (in schools), but we are also appealing to parents to also do the same process at home first,” Ncube said.

He said the problem required the involvement of many stakeholders to tackle, particularly parents and school authorities.

“Parents should also play a role in searching the bags of their children at home as well as teaching them good manners at home. There should not be a gap in terms of monitoring, and management of a child at home from the age of one up to 15 years,” he said.

“We are seeing that there is delinquency (among youths). Some of these issues are discovered very late when the child will now be a drug addict. Parents should monitor their children at home and school, and report to authorities in time to avoid such incidences,” Ncube said.