The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Commissioner Paul Rolle said school policing will be expanded to other campuses as necessary.

He spoke after officials revealed earlier this week that several officers were assigned to nine different public schools in New Providence, about a week after a stabbing at AF Adderley left a student in hospital.

The police chief said that at the request of the government they’ve made the decision to facilitate “those schools where we’ve (had some) challenges”.

“Already designated officers to be into those schools so they can help and can create some calm within the school based environment and that will be managed by our community policing service to coordinate activities,” he said.

As for plans to expand to other schools and other islands, the commissioner said: “We’ll expand as necessary you know based on the need that we find that there’s a challenge.”

Police have been dispatched to AF Adderley Junior High, CH Reeves Junior High, Government High School, RM Bailey Senior High, CC Sweeting Senior High, CV Bethel Senior High School and Doris Johnson Senior High, among others.

Commissioner Rolle also said he has asked the deputy commissioner to investigate how a virtual police briefing about gang violence was recently released into the public domain.

“That was not intended for public consumption but somehow it was out and so I’ll wait to hear from them exactly how that happened.”

He added: “Ideally we would not want that type of information out there. I don’t know if (that) compromised anything because it’s just information.”

Commissioner Rolle also addressed how two small protests that took place during the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to The Bahamas last week were dealt with.

“We met with those folks and gave them good advice and I sent them perimeters through the officers that were out there. We didn’t stop them from demonstrating. We put them behind the security barricades where they were permitted to do their demonstration and to speak to the media as they wish. I think in one case they wanted to come on the inside (of a venue) and that was not allowed for the safety of the Royal Highnesses,” he said.