NASSAU, The Bahamas -- The Ministry of Education and Technical & Vocational Training and the Royal Bahamas Police Force have launched various initiatives to enhance school security, which include deploying more handheld metal detectors at schools throughout New Providence.

“The Ministry is fully committed to ensuring that the safety and well-being of our teachers, staff and students across the country are taken care of,” Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Technical & Vocational Training, Ricardo Deveaux said at a press conference to announce the deployment at the Ministry on Thursday, October 24, 2024.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary said, “We recognize that our schools should be a place where both education and safety are paramount and we are taking proactive steps to ensure that remains the case.

“These scanners represent a crucial and critical investment in our security measures, helping to prevent unauthorized items from entering our campuses and ensuring that our students and our staff are learning and working in a safe environment.”

He noted that school safety is a growing concern for students, parents and the wider community and the Ministry and the RBPF want to ensure the public that they are doing everything within their power to address these concerns.

Director, Security at the Ministry, Bruce Arnett warned students and members of the public not to bring anything prohibited on school campuses because the scanners will be able to detect them.

Mr. Arnett said there were handheld scanners at schools but they have increased the volume to mitigate any problems that might arise from prohibited items being brought onto school campuses.

There was also a demonstration for the press to see the handheld metal detectors in action, and weapons that have been found on students at schools.

Also attending the press conference were Director of Education, Dominique McCartney Russell and Superintendent of Police, RBPF School Policing Division.