Ocho Rios, St. Ann
businessman Joe Issa is supporting the installation of video survellance
technology in schools, likening the move to giving prosecutors a third and
unbiased eye to view complaints, other than those of the claimant and
defendant.
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| video survellance technology in schools |
“I think it’s a great
idea I dare say is long overdue. We have seen an upsurge in criminal activity
at the schools by students and to a small extent, teachers as well as by
outsiders who gain entrance to carry out their vendetors and disrupt the
learning environment.
“We can’t have that,
especially in a learning institution where students are in the care of the
state and should feel protected – safe and secure.
“Closed circuit
television (CCTV) in the island’s secondary schools will put a damper on crime
at the institutions, by detering prospective criminals for fear of being
identified,” said Issa, executive chairman of Cool Corporation.
Issa, who is said to be
giving much towards the education of underpreviliged children – from
scholarships to classroom equipment such as computers and cupboards – said all
round safety and security in schools in paramuount for maintaining the
integrity of the education system.
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| Joseph "Joey" Issa |
“It will be a sad day
when we allow criminals, for whatever motive, to walk in and out of schools
commiting brazen acts, or to break into them under the cover of darkness,
without being caught and prosecuted,” Issa said of news to implement the smart
cameras in schools.
News of the impendng
installation of CCTV in secondary schools
comes on the heels of an announcement by Education, Youth and Information Minister
Senator Ruel Reid, that “the Government will be installing closed circuit
television (CCTV) systems in secondary institutions shortly, as part of a
programme aimed at improving school safety and security.”
“We are going for the
highest grade technology with analytical and artificial intelligence
capabilities that will assist (schools) greatly, not only in identifying
weapons that are being brought on the campuses, but even identifying students,
who are high-risk. Safety and security is the number one priority for the
ministry,” Senator Reid said while addressing the National Association of Deans
of Discipline (NADD).
Issa’s suppot for CCTV in
schools is not his first, as he has previously lobbied for it to be placed at
key places in Ocho Rios including St. James Street, and in Mandeville,
Manchester.
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