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News
'Vendors store weapons for kids'
Cops to remove them from school gates
BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, November 15, 2010
THEY converge at school gates, their stalls stocked with snacks and other tasty treats. But, according to the police, some of these "school vendors" have been offering a far more dangerous service to their young customers: the "storing" of weapons and other contraband.
"We are finding that vendors — some are good businesspeople — (but) others are holders of contraband. (And) this is where some of the weapons are being hidden for students," Superintendent James Forbes of the Police Community Safety Division told the Observer last week.
The vendors allegedly "keep" the weapons for the students as they go off to classes, and then return them at the end of the day. The most popular weapons left at the school gates are "knives and machetes", one officer told the Observer.
Forbes said the vendors do this to allow delinquent students to avoid detection by School Resource Officers and police personnel who are placed in the schools under the Safe School Initiative. The initiative is part of the Government's thrust to combat the worsening problem of violence in schools.
The superintendent told the Observer that these vendors were "major players" in this illicit activity that has greatly assisted students involved in gang feuds at schools across the island. In fact, Forbes said that when these weapons are handed back to the youngsters at the end of the day they usually figure very prominently in clashes at transportation hubs and other points where students gather — sometimes with deadly consequences.
In October, two students — one in Kingston and the other in St Mary — died in violence involving schoolchildren. Both students were stabbed to death. Head of the St Andrew Central Police Division, Superintendent Derrick Knight, also told the Observer that last month there were reports of around 10 violent clashes among schoolchildren in his division alone.
As a result the police, with the blessing of officials from the Education Ministry, will, in coming months, remove all vendors from school gates initially, after which the schools will decide which of the vendors will be allowed to return, according to Forbes.
Forbes said that discussions had already begun with several schools, the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation and the parish councils on the issue.
"Already, the police have received commitment from several stakeholders to assist with the vendor-removal programme," said Forbes.
But the initiative to remove vendors from school gates is not likely to go unchallenged.
Dunstan Whittingham, head of the Jamaica Vendors, Higglers and Markets Association, told the Observer yesterday that he did not believe the police report of vendors "storing" weapons for students.
"That is a make-believe story," Whittingham said. "We will be seeking a meeting with all the stakeholders, the vendors, the schools and the police to see how best we can [resolve] this matter," Whittingham said.
He argued that a number of vendors had children attending the schools at which they sell and, as such, would not do anything to put students in harm's way.
But Marcia Wilson, who heads the National Parent-Teachers' Association of Jamaica, lauded the plan to remove vendors from school gates as a positive step that would help to curb several of the problems reported at these institutions.
"Parents have been calling for the removal of vendors for sometime as crime and violence has always been an issue," said Wilson.
Additionally, she said that parents were also concerned about children loitering, and were therefore, ready to volunteer to work with the police to ensure that students were removed from the streets after school.
 
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11/15/2010
Why don't some of the schools don't allow the option of the vendors who want to sell to the school children be allowed inside the school compounds, IF they're willing to submit to the same police searches. That way, their livelihoods is not totally taken away and the promotion of safety can increase.
11/15/2010
@Anthony ll - Its not that im against you being an advocate for rules & regulations but my problem with your comments is the consistent mentioning of the words "POOR PEOPLE" there is no where in this article or any of the comments that uses the words "POOR PEOPLE" . This article is about vendors & school children. I attended primary school in the 70's & there are always vendors. When you live in a society where the opportunities or few. People have to improvise in order to survive.
11/15/2010
What I do not understand is why some schools have vendors outside their gates, while others do not. While I was a student in secondary school, we had a "tuck" shop and a cafeteria. There was no vendors station at the gates or across the street. To this day, this is still the norm. These onsite shop/cafeteria serves as a source of income for the school, so what barriers exist that would prevent ALL schools across the island from adopting this approach and eliminate this problem all together?
11/15/2010
Agree with Anthony II. Its called regulation. A country, society, group, people without laws, rules and regulation is a sure failure. For years vendors at school gates have been a problem. Even if they aren't storing weapons etc for kids they need to be regulated. Most if not all schools have a cafeteria. If the cafeteria doesnt provide "every" need then the school should determine these needs and choose these vendors to operate in set area inside the school compound. REGULATION.
11/15/2010
Why is anyone surprized about this finding/revelation. JA is a island that is riddled with many people that were raised by unfit parents. 80% of all kids born are born out of wedlock. Many of them were conceived by casual sex. The seeds were planted the benefits are now being reaped. Many of the vendors & students alike weren't raised properly. What do we expect?. Make note, politicians, police, judges, DJ's & many others are pooled from the same JA population. Root cause is loose unfit parents
11/15/2010
i believe it the whole jamaica is corrupt so what else can we expect
11/15/2010
What is it about us that causes us to so easily accept the lowest level of ANYTHING? Why are we so willing to accept less that the best? Why are we so quick to defend the lowest forms of behavior? What kinds of values have been transmitted to Jamaicans in these last decades? How can we re-orient some Jamaicans to make them citizens who can contribute positively to our society? Did the head of the JVHMA carry out his own investigation? Vendors have NO RIGHTS to set up shop at school gates!
11/15/2010
And, of course, if anyone proposes any action to regulate access of these "vendors" to children, we will all hear how much those proponents of action a fight gainst poor people an dem mus memba sey dem did poor tuh. An horse dead an cow fat!
.
How do countries such as Jamaica progress? We need a critical mass of people (a majority) with noble ideals and "head space" (who can see the -ve impact of their actions) in order to progress; and right now, we do not appear to have that.
11/15/2010
Mr. Whittingham is a joker...this is a long standing "arrangement" that the police have known for a while....the only question is why it has taken them so long to do something about it
11/15/2010
If it can be proven that vendor X or vendor Y is involved in the storage of any form of wepons, with an intent to supply to a student, then that vendor should be sent to prison.
11/15/2010
If this is what some are doing then, those should be the ones removed and locked up. Is there not something for which they can be charged.
If the police have this kind of information, why not search the vendors, arrest the offenders and ban them from every selling near any public school.
Once again we have gone for net vs spear fishing and many will suffer
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