KZN Department of Education applaud SAPS for conducting search and seizure in Ndengetho Secondary
The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal applauds the SAPS for upholding its agreement with the department.
THE Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal confirms their joint operation with the South African Police Services (SAPS) to eradicate crimes in schools. This comes after the Department condemned the torching of classrooms that took place at Ndengetho High School in KwaNdengezi on Thursday, September 1 after an operation was conducted in the school.
According to the Department, the school reported that the learners were reacting to the search-and-seizure operation that was conducted by the police that saw the confiscation of cellphones, drugs and weapons.
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The Department said the police were doing their job as they have an agreement with them. “According to the school’s code of conduct, learners are not allowed to take cellphones into the school’s premises, hence cellphones were also confiscated by the police. The department commends the act by the police as it forms part of the agreement that the Department has with the South African Police Services.
“The police and the Department have a protocol agreement signed more than 10 years ago which is implemented by provinces, and search and seizures in schools are part of the crime prevention and awareness that happens on a regular basis,” stated the Department.
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The Department said the agreement serves a purpose for the fight against crime in schools. “The members of SAPS who conduct search and seizure in schools are acting in line with the agreement which is aimed at eradicating crime in schools. In terms of the agreement, every school is linked to the police station, and at the moment, 18 000 schools in the country are directly assigned a police station to ensure that all schools are crime-free zones,” they said.
The Department’s MEC Mbali Frazer said they are encouraged to see the agreement bearing fruit, and she confirmed that there are many schools where such operations are taking place.
