National Security Ministers meet with NPTA officials

DAYS after two shooting incidents outside places of learning – one a preschool in Malick where two men were killed, and the other outside St Francois Girls College in Belmont, where a suspect was shot dead by police – Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds and Minister in the Ministry of National Security Keith Scotland met with members of the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA) on October 3.

On September 25, two men were shot dead and three people including a four-year-old boy were shot and wounded, after gunmen opened fire at around 8 am outside Roxann’s Learning and Childhood Centre in Seventh Avenue, Malick. One of the men, on being shot, ran into the preschool in an attempt to escape. He later died at hospital. The other man died outside the preschool. Police have since said this shooting was gang-related as one of the men shot was “well known” to police.

Then two days later, on September 27, two men were shot along Serraneau Road in Belmont near St Francois Girls College around noon. Both suspects tried to hide in underground drains near the college but were eventually flushed out by police.

One of the suspects was shot by officers during the extrication effort and later died while being treated at Port of Spain General Hospital. The college was locked down after the shooting and students and teachers locked themselves into classrooms. Classes at the college were dismissed early and parents who were picking up their children referenced the Malick shooting and said they felt “unsafe” and “traumatised.”

The ministry, in a media release issued on October 3, said Scotland told NPTA president Walter Stewart and vice president Zena Ramatali of the TT Police Service’s (TTPS) rollout of increased static, foot and mobile patrols, throughout five police divisions, including the Port of Spain Division.

“This is a crucial project that complements ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Education, to combat school violence and violence in the vicinity of schools, whether involving students or not. These increased patrols are to be expanded to all ten (10) police divisions, in short order,” the release said.

Stewart, the release added, brought several issues to the ministers’ attention including students showing signs of gang affiliation; proactive measures to protect vulnerable youth; students loitering in uniform late at night; and people loitering near school compounds.

Hinds and Scotland meanwhile stressed the need for sensitisation sessions for all stakeholders within the parent-teacher network which they say is aimed at building resilience and serving as preventative interventions.

Drawing parallels to public health strategies employed during the pandemic, they also highlighted the need for all stakeholders to collaborate to address the issues raised.

The ministry said, “The meeting defined a work program and represented a pivotal moment in the collective fight for a safer educational landscape in Trinidad and Tobago.”

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