North West again mulls reviving Adopt-a-Cop after third school fire

By Lebone Rodah Mosima 

The North West Department of Education is again considering reviving the Adopt-a-Cop programme after three schools were damaged by fires within two weeks.

“The MEC is planning an urgent engagement with the Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service to discuss strengthened collaboration and interventions aimed at improving the safety and security of schools across the province,” department spokesperson Mercy Mokgatle told Inside Education.

She said among the potential interventions could be the “resuscitation and strengthening” of programmes such as Adopt-a-Cop.

The province has previously used Adopt-a-Cop to link police officers with schools. Talks about reviving it have been ongoing since 2019.

“The department is taking the matter seriously and is intensifying its efforts to strengthen the protection of school infrastructure,” she said.  

Although several community members have said they believe the fires could be the result of arson, Mokgatle said the circumstances were