Police are joining forces with the Government to reduce antisocial behaviour by school students in the City of Hamilton.

The Bermuda Police Service said they would work with the Ministry of Education, private schools and shopkeepers after reports of poor behaviour by some students attending public and private schools.

Martin Weekes, the Assistant Commissioner, Operations, said: “The BPS are aware that it is a small minority of students from schools across the island that are causing these problems and not the majority of students or one individual school.

“We do not wish to be seen to blame all schoolchildren for the behaviour of a few or one school above others.

“The BPS will be working with all the schools to identify anyone seen on cameras to be committing offences and to put solutions in place.”

He added: “Meetings are being arranged with the various stakeholders to discuss additional approaches, which can be used to bolster measures already in place.

“Measures already implemented include school visits to talk about the avoidance of negative activity, peer mediation involving our dedicated school officer, as well as regular foot patrols within the City of Hamilton, particularly in areas such as the bus terminal and Washington Mall, where students tend to gather.”

The Ministry of Education and private school administrators will start meetings next week to discuss potential solutions.

Trina Cariah, the principal of Dellwood Middle School, this week endorsed Treats Ltd’s decision to ban her school’s students from the store to allow them to reflect on the effects of antisocial behaviour.

The store owner, Ciera Garrafa, said she had contacted six other schools regarding concerns about some of their students’ actions.

Police also asked for the public’s help in cracking down on antisocial behaviour after a video of an altercation between two schoolgirls circulated on social media this week.

Mr Weekes said the success of efforts depended on the active involvement of parents.

He added: “Parents are urged to make every effort to ensure their children are at home within a reasonable time following the dismissal of school and not simply ‘hanging out’ in the city.

“We appreciate some students are involved in extracurricular activities come the end of the school day, which may entail being in the city for some period.

“The focus should still be on ensuring they are out of the city and making their way home in as short a time as circumstances allow.

“This is a community issue that we are all charged with addressing.

“Let’s work together to ensure success.”