School directors consider that students are more nervous, restless and irritated since the covid-19 pandemic and defended the reinforcement of psychological support, after a report revealed an increase in criminal incidents in schools.
Criminal incidents in schools increased by around 9% in the last academic year, totaling 3.824, with bodily harm, insults and threats being the crimes that increased the most and were the most prevalent, according to the Safe School report released today by the PSP.
“Schools are a reflection of the community in which they are located and, in recent times, we have noticed, people are more nervous and irritated. This can also be seen in schools”, said the president of the National Association of School Directors (ANDE).
From Manuel Pereira's perspective, the scenario worsened after the covid-19 pandemic, an opinion shared by Filinto Lima, president of the National Association of Directors of Groups and Public Schools (ANDAEP).
“We feel that students are more restless, more nervous. They often want to solve the problem the wrong way,” she reported.
Highlighting the importance of the Safe School program in prevention, Filinto Lima also highlighted the role of schools and, in particular, of psychology and guidance services, explaining that they help students manage conflicts, preventing “situations of threats and aggression for which many Sometimes they leave without resolving the problem through dialogue.”
“We specifically need technical support for the area of mental health”, argued, in the same sense, Manuel Pereira.
According to the Safe School report for the 2022/2023 school year, the PSP recorded 3.824 incidents, 2.708 of which were criminal in nature and 1.115 non-criminal, with the majority occurring within schools.
The crimes of bodily harm (1.237) and insults and threats (825) predominate, with 368 crimes of theft, 137 of vandalism and damage, 87 of sexual offenses, 82 of robbery, 34 of possession and use of a weapon and 28 of drug trafficking.
Despite the increase compared to the previous year, the number of occurrences remains below the average of the last 10 years, which stands at 4.570 occurrences.
The Safe School Program's main objective is to guarantee the safety of the school environment and its surroundings, prevent risky behavior and reduce acts that increase insecurity in the school environment.
In the 2022/2023 academic year, the PSP was responsible, in urban centers, for the security of 3.149 educational establishments, 150.000 teaching and non-teaching staff and around 862.700 students.
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