For many teenagers, beach fronts have become a popular setting for social gatherings – but the City and police have issued a strong warning that drunk and disorderly conduct in a public place will be met with arrest.
This comes after a few incidents had been reported of school learners being caught drinking on beaches during their free time.
“As the matric finals approach, the normal school hours have ended for the matric class as they take leave to prepare for this crucial exam period. As history has shown, it has become the norm for students to head to the beaches for one last party,” says the City’s Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith.
“But we must be clear. Alcohol is not allowed on the beaches. Do not drink and drive. We arrest countless drivers each weekend for being over the limit,” he says.
Smith says that having to declare on your CV that you have a criminal record brings a lifetime of shame at best, “worse case you may cause a motor vehicle accident and end your life or that of innocent road users”.
Smith adds: “If you have been drinking and find yourself at the beach, do not enter the water. The ocean is a force of nature that shows no mercy to those with impaired judgement. When out with friends, be sure to keep your belongings under a watchful eye. Our enforcement staff will be out in full force, both in uniform and in undercover, to keep all beachgoers safe. Random breath testing will be done on those leaving these areas and we will be deploying aerial surveillance in the form of drones to help identify offenders and any form of criminality.”
A parent, Jody Basson, told TygerBurger that this is a crucial time for matriculants.
“We as parents need to be there to support our children, but also keep a firm hand. Parties on beaches are a norm this time of the year, and while we want our children to have fun, we have to urge them to rather do so responsibly,” she says.
Substance abuse programme
Last week, the Metro-North Education District kicked off its multi-stakeholder seminar programme that will work with communities towards drug-free schools.
“Young people who repeatedly abuse alcohol and drugs experience different problems viewed as barriers to learning such as academic challenges, negative peer relationships that result in gang affiliations, risky sexual behaviour and sometimes they end up in conflict with the law.
“These problems do not just end in school yards but also in homes, the community, and the broader society,” the department says.
Safer schools
The Metro-North Education District, school social work unit in collaboration with Safer Schools, believes this initiative is a way to engage the broader community and seek their input to reduce substance abuse.
The two-day programme started on Friday, 20 October at Sunridge Circle High School with a motivational talk during the school assembly, then proceeded to Milnerton and Table View centre points followed by a poster awareness on substance abuse and its effects.
On 21 October, the Metro-North Education District visited Blouberg Ridge Primary School with various speakers from the police, provincial education department and social development on substance abuse as a barrier to learning and its effects.
Equipping learners
The aim of the programme is to:
- equip learners with knowledge and skills to avoid drug and alcohol misuse;
- to create awareness and preventative measures in the broader community;
- to provide a resource list to provide support when necessary;
- highlight the risk factors when engaging in any form of substance abuse;
- capacitate educators, learners, and SGBs to manage and address substance abuse in schools and
- to highlight the role of family dynamics and having a systemic approach when addressing substance abuse.
