Schools might become safer places if children were made to see the "consequences of violence'' through visits to courts and prisons, a prosecuting attorney suggested this week.

Crown Counsel Mr. Khamisi Tokumbo told a forum on school violence at Wesley Methodist Church that children have become increasingly desensitised to violent acts and could benefit from a dose of harsh reality.

He advocated the introduction of regular court and prison visits as a part of the school curriculum.

"Kids ought to be impressed with the consequences of violence,'' Mr. Tokumbo told the forum, which was held by the Bermuda National Education Council to seek ways of reducing the level of violence in schools.

"Let them see the doors get slammed. Let them see the `monkeys' behind the cages. Let them see where people go when they lose their liberty.'' One of seven panelists at the meeting, Mr. Tokumbo also suggested that children be guided through the court system to show them that violence doesn't end with the commission of the act.

He added that such visits would instill a healthy respect for law and order in increasingly impudent youths.

The theme of disrespect was also picked up on by Mount St. Agnes Academy principal Sister Judith Marie Rollo, who blamed the sea change in attitudes on a largely materialistic society.

"I feel very strongly that adults have set our youth adrift on the sea of life without a moral rudder or a beacon to guide them,'' she said. "Our children now become physically violent at the slightest provocation.'' Referring to the correlation between violence and drugs, Sister Judith said that she and others made several "good'' suggestions to the 1981 Archibald Commission on Drugs that "certainly never were implemented''.

She also urged parents to take a more "proactive'' role in the education of their children.

"Schools cannot do it alone,'' Sister Judith said. "Unfortunately, I think people are looking to us to provide all the solutions. It just doesn't happen that way.'' She added: "We only have them (children) for six hours a day -- or 25 percent of the day. That certainly doesn't compare to 75 percent.'' Chief Insp. Jonathan Smith, meanwhile, reported to the forum that an anti-violence action plan is being developed on the basis of recommendations from the recent "Blow the Whistle on Violence'' conference.

Among the school-related ideas that he said the Police and Government will be considering are the introduction of the highly successful conflict resolution and peer mediation programmes to all schools, the hiring of more teachers and truant officers and the banning of beepers on school property.

Beepers or pagers often go hand in hand with drug activity, Chief Insp. Smith said.

He added that more Police officers would be assigned to the parishes once they were freed up from the Airport.

Among the other speakers at the meeting, which attracted some 30 to 40 people, were behaviour management expert Dr. Julie Berkeley, Northlands Sceondary School principal Mr. Randy Benjamin, National PTA vice-president Mr. Daniel Robinson and Sandys Secondary head boy Mr. Kenneth Caesar.

The forum, which was intended to open a public debate on the issue of violence in schools, was billed as the first of several.

Future meetings have yet to be announced.