Bill on crime prevention in schools pushed

SEN. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Sunday raised the need to pass a bill that seeks to establish a crime prevention committee in all educational institutions to ensure the safety of students.

Angara made the call following the arrest of four college students who allegedly kidnapped a 19- year- old student of Letran College. The student was rescued by police operatives last week.

The incident, senator said, emphasized the need for schools to reinforce and reassess their security procedures.

“School safety is becoming a greater concern nowadays and this has raised the need for a law that would help ensure the safety of students,” said Angara, vice chairman of the Senate education committee.

Senate Bill 946, which Angara authored, mandates all higher education and technical vocational institutions to establish a crime prevention committee in charge of formulating policies and strategies that would help protect the academic community from crimes such as theft, robbery, rape and other forms of violence.

The bill also allows the monitoring and recording, through local police agencies, of criminal activities committed by off- campus student organizations duly recognized by the institution and which count among its members the students attending the institution.

“Schools should be conducive to learning and intellectual discourse, not venues for violence and crime,” Angara said in a statement.

The crime prevention committee could also recommend the conduct of seminars and trainings on crime and drug prevention and control, in coordination with the National Police Commission or the Department of the Interior and Local Government.