00:00The Minister of Homeland Security, the Honourable Roger D. Alexander and the Permanent Secretaries in the Ministry of Homeland Security
00:05and by extension the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Development have recognised the urgency
00:10in reference to the engagement of our nation in a multi-sectoral context.
00:15And the Minister was very strong when he spoke about prevention and taking preventative steps to be able to deal
00:22with our challenges.
00:23We cannot shoot our way out of this, we cannot charge our way out of this
00:26and we think it's important to invest heavily in our preventative measures.
00:31The programme at the Signal Hill Secondary School follows the launch of the National Symposium
00:36focusing on vulnerable youths in Trinidad and Tobago, launched at the Eldorado West Secondary School.
00:44Officer Ali said if students run afoul of the law, they are treated on a case-by-case basis.
00:51His comments comes on the heels of City Corporation Chairman and Alderman Wayne Griffith
00:57being attacked by several students of Tranquility Government Secondary School on Monday afternoon.
01:04The rule of law must be upheld and if children are running afoul of the law,
01:09actions must be taken with reference of when you're running afoul of the law.
01:12However, because we are now engaged in criminology and psychology and social work,
01:17it's important for us to be deep in our consideration as to whether we initiate criminal proceedings
01:22and if so, under what circumstances.
01:24Officer Ali said the Police in Schools initiative remains important towards ensuring
01:30the suppression of criminal activity, but there must be a balance between the strong and soft arm of the law.
01:37Tobago West MP Joel Sampson told the TV6 News the outreach is critical for students,
01:44particularly those facing various challenges within the school environment.
01:50You can reach out to your teachers. Don't be afraid. Reach out to the teachers, reach out to the principals.
01:54If you have to talk to your parents about it and have them make a report to the station,
01:58feel free to do that because we don't want an environment where persons don't feel comfortable coming to school
02:03with the fear of the fact that someone is going to bully them.
02:07Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
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