SEVEN students have been ordered to do three months of community work as punishment for drinking and behaving in a disorderly manner.
National Capital District Metropolitan Superintendent Andy Bawa yesterday also issued a stern warning to students completing their national examinations that police would be closely monitoring their activities and movements. He warned them to stay out of trouble and avoid partying because these often led to criminal activities such as rape and murder. The seven secondary school children – five girls and two boys – were arrested in Port Moresby last Friday for drinking and behaving in a disorderly manner. According to Anna Wills, the acting officer-in-charge of the police juvenile justice and monitoring section, the seven would do three months of community service from Oct 19 for an hour every Sunday. Under the conditions of their punishment, they will be closely monitored and supervised by a Juvenile Court officer from the community-based Correction Office and police from the Juvenile Centre. Any breach of the conditions will result in their re-arrest and re-sentencing. Wills said they were “lenient” on the students because they were minors and still at school. She warned parents to closely monitor the movements and activities of their charges because children often lied to parents. She said peer pressure continued to be the main contributing factor to delinquency and misconduct in schools. “These are our children, they are our next generation of leaders and we must help them,” she said. “This measure is not to harm students but to help them learn and stop this bad practice.” Bawa told The National yesterday that the bad habit of partying after national examinations by students had often led to criminal activities. Police officers have been told to keep a close watch on students’ movements and activities, including the consumption of homebrew and marijuana. He warned female students to be extra careful because of the high risk of sexual assault. “Students who are taking part in after-exam parties must be reminded that safety is important. They must use their common sense to avoid incidents,” he said. Bawa advised parents and teachers to again remind students before the holidays about the risks they put themselves into if they engage in illegal activities. “It’s something that has been happening yearly and parents as well as teachers should remind students of their safety and the consequences of such parties,” he said. Education secretary Dr Michael Tapo said the police every right to apprehend citizens who broke the law, irrespective of whether they were students. “Examinations will be over but that does not give you the privilege to do anything that would get you into trouble. If you want to continue on to university, stay out of trouble,” he said.
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