Summit focuses on campus security
THE need for a sexual assault specialist and proper training for recruited security staff at universities, technical vocational education and training institutions (TVETS) and schools were among the issues discussed at a national school and campus safety summit at the University of the Western Cape.
The week-long summit was called to try to find solutions to campus crime. It was also initiated after some students called for the removal of security officials from tertiary education campuses, due to alleged violent treatment from them during last year’s #FeesMustFall campaign.
The summit, which was attended by representatives of the private security industry and rectors and vice-chancellors of universities, is an initiative of the SAPS in collaboration with the departments of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training.
The chief executive of the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, Manabela Chauke, said: “Our priority was to ensure that all students’ rights were protected. I stress that it was regrettable that during the #FeesMustFall protests, some private security companies ended up being involved in crowd control, which is not their mandate. We would like to caution the consumers of private security (institutions of higher learning) to ensure that private security on campuses focuses on protecting the assets of the institutions, and that public order be completely left for SAPS to handle.”
Chauke said they had introduced a new training module for security officers to ensure that they were well equipped to execute their responsibilities professionally.
Refilwe Sebesho, of Tshwane University of Technology, said universities must know how to deal with rape and gender-based violence.