Police urge St James students to find non-violent ways to resolve conflicts
ST JAMES, Jamaica — Following the arrest of a 14-year-old student who was implicated in the stabbing death of a fellow schoolmate at the Irwin High School in James on Thursday, police in the area are urging students to find non-violent ways to resolve conflicts.
Speaking with Observer Online after the alleged attacker was taken into custody by his parents on Friday afternoon, Acting Senior Superintendent of Police, Eron Samuels said that a Safe Schools Taskforce has been set up in the hopes of combatting the uptick in school violence within the division.
“A Safe Schools Taskforce has been set up by members of the JCF [Jamaica Constabulary Force], and is joined by members of the Ministry of Education, principals, guidance counsellors and other stakeholders to ensure that we deal with the issues of violence within schools,” he said. “In recent times we have seen where there has been a lot of violence within schools, not just in the St James division but across the country. But, for persons within the St James division, we’re urging you to really just ease down on the violence because we want you to recognise that all the issues you are having can be resolved, ” said the acting SSP Samuels.
He went on to encourage students to think about the consequences resorting to violence can have on their future.
“There’s nothing that we can’t sit down and have a discussion and reason about. We want to urge you to just be careful and look at the implications that situations like these can have on your future and we want peace to reign within the schools so you guys can have a great future ahead of you,” he said.
Police in St James say they are currently conducting interviews with the accused teenager.
READ: Schoolboy taken into custody for alleged murder of schoolmate
Fifteen-year-old Raniel Plummer, a nine grade student of the St James-based institution was stabbed in the chest during an altercation as he exited the school grounds.
He was rushed to hospital where he later died.
READ: Irwin High student dies from stab wound after attack by schoolmates
