Today, the Public Security Police is launching the operation “Violence? No, thanks!”, to raise awareness among students in the 3rd cycle of primary and secondary education on issues such as school violence, the use and possession of weapons and juvenile delinquency.
In addition to raising awareness, students are also encouraged to resolve their conflicts peacefully, using dialogue rather than violence.
In a statement, the PSP say that the incidents recorded in the 2023/2024 school year, within the scope of the Safe School Program (PES), increased compared to 2022/2023, although they are still below the average of the last decade (4,445).
This operation, which runs until the end of January, is part of the PES, an integrated community policing model under which the PSP is responsible for security in more than 3,170 public, private and cooperative education schools, involving a total of 902,000 students and 150,000 teachers and operational assistants.
The police officers from the Safe School Program teams involved in these actions teach students some approaches to resolving conflicts, methods to calm down when they feel angry, and also explain to them who they can turn to for help.
During these awareness-raising activities, in addition to characterising juvenile delinquency, the officers explain to the students the consequences of violent behaviour, warning them that, despite being minors, there are consequences that could affect their future if they commit acts that could be classified as a crime.
In the 2022/2023 school year, 3,824 incidents related to school spaces (inside, outside and home-school-home routes) were recorded by the Safe School Program teams, while in the last school year the number rose to 4,107.
Of the total number of incidents recorded last school year, 2,956 were of a criminal nature, which is equivalent to 72% of the total recorded within the scope of the PES.
Of all the criminal incidents recorded, 71.4% took place on school premises. The most reported incidents continue to be assaults, insults and threats.
The PSP also say that in the last academic year, the lowest number of robberies in the last five years was recorded (75), which represents a decrease of around 9% compared to the same period.
In the 2023/2024 school year, 38 incidents involving the use and/or possession of weapons were recorded (four more), with five firearms, 30 bladed weapons and four weapons of other types detected, representing an increase of 11.4%.
In total, in the 2023/2024 school year, the PSP carried out around 32,000 thematic awareness-raising actions that had the participation of more than 703,400 students, 24,500 more than in the previous year. The most addressed topics were 'bullying' and 'cyberbullying', domestic and dating violence, alcohol and drug use and prevention, and road safety.
The PSP reminds that the police officers assigned to the PES teams are always present and available to receive reports, advise and support victims, their families and the entire school community.
Complaints can be reported in person, at a PSP police station , or via email at escolasegura@psp.pt .
Source https://postal.pt/
