Koprivica: There are no conditions for introducing school police officers, work is underway to return officers

The mother of a boy who was a victim of peer violence at a high school in Zeta, Bojana Jokić, said on "Colors of Morning" on TV Vijesti that the entire case is now in the hands of the prosecution, but that the family is also trying to provide psychological help for her son.

"We are waiting for the summons for the hearing, and in the meantime we are trying to help our son recover mentally, because everything is made even more difficult by the fact that the violence was filmed and the footage was shared among the children," she said.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) Petar Koprivica assessed that Montenegro does not have the conditions for introducing school police officers, but that work is underway to return officers who would monitor schools and their surroundings.

"The police currently have a shortage of almost two thousand people and we do not have the capacity to place a police officer in every school. However, we plan to return to the stage service, especially near schools and other public institutions. We expect to recruit 500 to 600 new police officers next year," he pointed out.

Lawyer Snežana Mićanović Nikčević emphasized that it is necessary to change legal provisions and clearly prescribe sanctions for parents of children who commit violence.

"According to the Family Law, parents are obliged to take care of their children's upbringing. If a child commits serious offenses, serious injuries, attempted murder, or violent behavior, then the parent has failed. The key to the solution is for parents to be held accountable," she said.

According to her, the current legal framework is imprecise and punishment is mostly reduced to misdemeanors and symbolic fines, and that amendments to the law are needed that would clearly define the minimum and maximum penalties for parents.

Jokić added that even violent people should not be approached only through exclusion and sanctions.

"If a 14 or 15-year-old child has enough anger to hurt another child, that's their cry for help. And those children need psychological and professional support, because if we just isolate them, we risk creating an even bigger problem," she pointed out.

In a poll among viewers, as many as 75 percent believe that parents should be punished, while 16 percent supported the introduction of a school police officer, and only nine percent supported stronger education for children and parents.