RECENT raids at high schools have discovered that children are carrying alarmingly high sums of spending money to school and Richards Bay police fear this may pose a potential risk for children to be lured into illegal activities such as alcohol and drug abuse.
While the school raids focus on searching for drugs or weapons in schools, Communications Officer Captain Debbie Ferreira said during recent visits no illegal items were confiscated or recovered but they found children carrying much cash.
‘This is not a crime, but some youngsters had between R100 and R500 in their possession which they stated was for their lunch allowances.
‘In some instances the children were not using their allocated amount per day and by the end of the week had a large sum of ‘extra pocket money’ which we do not want them to spend experimenting with illegal substances or activities.
‘We understand that children also receive cash for travelling expenses and other recreational activities but we urge parents to monitor their children’s spending.
‘This is not an onslaught or attack, we acknowledge that in most households both parents work and children receive cash for lunches but we want parents to be aware of the risk of giving their children too much money.
‘We have a drug crisis that is raging through our communities and we do not want children to fall into the trap of drugs or other illegal activities because they have surplus money on hand.
‘We do highlight these concerns during our awareness talks in schools and the community but we need to create platforms to reach the parents and discuss this challenge with them,’ said Ferreira.
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