The police are accusing some schools of covering up crimes in order to protect their image and for failing to deal with indiscipline.

According to Superintendent Norman Heywood of the Corporate Strategy and Planning Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, in some cases, schools only report crimes to the police when indiscipline becomes impossible to deal with.

"We find that there is a cover-up by school administrators who would want to create an impression that everything is all right in that school so they don't report incidents until they get out of control," said Supt. Heywood. "You find that until there is a major incident then you will hear everybody saying it has been happening for a long while," he said.

Supt. Heywood was speaking at THE STAR Hunt for Child Killers forum at THE STAR office yesterday.

Supt. Heywood's observations can be seen in three cases reported by THE STAR earlier this year. In February, THE STAR reported a case of a sexual offence at a Corporate Area high school where the principal initially denied it.

The matter, however, came to national attention when the police confirmed the incident and parents voiced their concerns about security at the school.

In a second incident, also this year, a child was abused by a teacher but the school refused to report the matter because the child had already graduated.

Last year, several allegations of rival gangs clashing with each other in schools outside of Kingston were downplayed by the various school administrations. Later, however, the police complained that the gangs had established cells in various schools.

Weak administration

"You find there's a lot of it happening based on the reports that come in from the school resource officers (SROs). You find that in schools where the administration is strong, the problem is dealt with from early. But, where the administration is weak, it will grow until it is a problem. then that's the time they try to deal with it at the school level," he said.

Meanwhile, Alphanso Davis, president of the Jamaica Association of Principals, said he is aware of the trend.

"I've heard of it happening where some schools, in order to protect themselves and their names, don't report the crimes that happen on their campuses," he said.

In the case of sexual offences, the police are reporting that there was a tendency not to report such crimes. But since the passing of the Child Care and Protection Act, which makes it mandatory for schools to report sex crimes, the practice has disappeared. "Before 2004 it was a problem. But, the schools are cooperating now and we have to commend the guidance counsellors for helping us because we are getting reports as they happen," said Inspector Duetress Foster Gardener of the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse.