PORTLAND, Jamaica — A raft of new measures, aimed at keeping students safe, have been put in place at the College of Agriculture Science and Education (CASE) after a female student was attacked in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday.

The measures were crafted during a hastily called meeting by school administrators after scared and angry students protested at the college’s Western Campus, blocking access to the gates.

“I feel traumatised and I think they need to improve the security on the campus,” one student, who asked not to be identified, told OBSERVER ONLINE during a visit to the campus.

About 5:00 am on Thursday two female students were walking to the college’s farm when one of them went back to the dorm to get a notebook.

She was abducted by a man and an alarm was made.

Other students, lecturers, and members of the college’s security team formed a search party and the missing student was found on the East Campus in a tunnel which leads to the nearby community of Norwich. She was taken to the Port Antonio Hospital as she appeared hurt.

The student returned to campus later in the day after a medical examination and counselling.

The police have secured clothing, believed to be that of her attacker, that was found in the tunnel.

After a meeting with students, board members and the police on Thursday afternoon, school administrators agreed to put additional security — stationary and patrolling — in place. In addition, as of 2:00 am next Monday they will provide a shuttle service to transport students to the college farm and there will also be an increase in the number of surveillance cameras on campus.

“It is an unfortunate incident,” CASE President Dr Derrick Deslandes, told OBSERVER ONLINE after the meeting. “The campus is returning to some level of normalcy after the meetings and the additional measures that have been put in place.”

There are unconfirmed reports that the man who attacked the CASE student may be linked to abductions that took place in Bath, St Thomas last year. Portland native Davian Bryan is suspected of abducting nine-year-old Phylisa Prussia, who is a student at Bath Primary and Junior High School, and 13-year-old Winshae Barrett, a student at Morant Bay High School in mid-October.

Both girls were found alive but Bryan managed to elude the police. He is believed to be still at large. There were also reports that Bryan may be linked to Wednesday’s attack on a woman in Durham, Manchester.

Late Thursday evening the Portland police told OBSERVER ONLINE that, at this stage of the investigation, they cannot link Bryan to the incident at CASE.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for East Portland, Ann-Marie Vaz, said in a press release that she has mobilised a team to assist the police in lawful steps being taken to find the person who attacked the CASE student. At the height of last year’s search for Bryan, an innocent man was killed by vigilante in Llandewey, St Thomas, after a case of mistaken identity.

Vaz, who condemned Thursday’s attack, said, “As a community we must take all lawful steps possible to make the environment as uncomfortable as possible for criminals who prey on our women, men and children.”

-Everard Owen