Selected classes at Allen Glen High School received a surprise visit from the Honeydew Police on Tuesday, 25 February, following reports of ill discipline among the learners.
Joined by the Honeydew Community Policing Forum (CPF), the officers split up into two groups and had learners from the problematic classes searched for any undesirables in their possession.
As per the search protocol, male officers searched the boys while female officers focused on the girls.
Although no dangerous unwanted objects were recovered, police had to intervene in some behavioural challenges that some learners posed.
It is no secret that the drug problem has infiltrating the school premises. The reason for a scuffle recently, of which the camera footage was circulated on social media, was believed to be dagga ending up in the wrong hands. However, this rumour was squashed by the Gauteng Department of Education, which conducted an internal investigation, saying the fight was over the trade of lollipops.
The spokesperson for Honeydew Police Station, Captain Balan Muthan, said serious intervention is required to eradicate the known scourge of drugs in the school.
“We’ve been informed about the dagga problem at the school and we need to look into undercover operations to deal with the scourge, but none of us can get in and pretend to be learners at the school,” he explained.
He suggested conducting full-on searches of the learners before they enter the school premises, and identifying informants to work with the police.
He also mentioned that Allen Glen High was not the only targeted school, as the station has started search operations at schools within their jurisdiction.
The learners were warned to behave, and the station promised to keep a watchful eye on the school.