Schools: mobile metal detector checks return to Naples

Checks using mobile metal detectors at entrances, dog units to combat drug dealing, surveillance in nightlife areas and secure reporting channels. These are the main operational measures ordered by the Prefect of Naples, Michele di Bari, in consultation with senior officials from the police and the Regional Education Office, to coincide with the start of the new school term. This initiative was already introduced last year in several schools across the province.

The plan implements the joint directive issued by the Ministers of the Interior and Education on 28 January, with the aim of combating the illegal circulation of weapons amongst minors and the sale of drugs in the vicinity of schools, combining strict controls with educational prevention. The strategy centres on the deployment of prevention services at the entrances to school complexes to detect the possession of weapons, and on targeted surveillance in the areas surrounding schools to crack down on the use and trafficking of illicit substances.
The plan extends its scope, a note from the Prefecture points out, “beyond school hours to protect young people in social settings, with joint police checks at weekends at the entrances to entertainment venues and in nightlife areas, ‘Active Legality’ round-table discussions featuring projects and educational sessions in schools, in collaboration with social services and the police, to raise awareness amongst young people about the risks of alcohol, drugs and violence”.