COMMISSIONER of Police Leslie James on Wednesday said there was a slight hiccup in implementation of the plan to have police presence at secondary schools in Georgetown.

Commissioner James told the Guyana Chronicle that regional education officers were not properly informed of the measure and many schools questioned the police presence in their precincts.

However, the commissioner said he has since been assured that arrangements will be put in place to accommodate his officers and every effort will be made to have a team on the ground to ensure the safety and security of teachers and students.

On a visit to a number of City school on Wednesday, their security guards indicated that the police have been patrolling the areas more frequently as of Wednesday. Reference was also made to a visible presence of police officers in the morning before school was called to session, during lunch breaks and again at dismissal period in the afternoon.

At an emergency meeting between key education officials and top police officers on Tuesday, it was agreed that the police will have a heightened presence around City schools.

A number of other measures were also rolled out, including counselling of teachers and students and the establishment of a hotline for schools to make contact with either education or police personnel in the event of an unfavorable development. These measures are being implemented following a series of online threats made against School of the Nations less than two weeks ago. Last Sunday, Nations Principal, Dr Brian O’ Toole was shot after being ambushed by an unknown gunman.

In light of these incidents, the school was forced to close its doors even as it convened emergency meetings with parents, teachers and some students on the way forward. Police have also launched an investigation into the threats and the shooting of Dr O’Toole.