Police in Cape Town schools

Six schools in Cape Town are to have their own in-house police officers to oversee the safety of pupils and staff, as part of a pilot project scheduled to begin at the start of 2013.

The first schools to receive their own dedicated police are Oscar Mpheta High, Phoenix High, Crystal High, Lotus High, Bishop Lavis High and Sizimisele Kuyasa High – located in some of the city’s most disadvantaged areas.

The new School Resource Officers, who are also members of the city's Metropolitan Police force, will be posted at the schools on a long-term basis.

The officers are currently being trained by facilitators from the US-based National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) who are equipping the Cape Town police with the necessary skills to deal with problems such as disorder and crime within a school environment.

The project is a joint initiative by the city of Cape Town and the Western Cape departments of education and community safety.