‘Zero tolerance for any risk to children’ – Minister Demo: school safety is non-negotiable, 360-degree protection promised

Interior Minister Ervin Demo has declared that school safety is non-negotiable and that there will be zero tolerance for any risk to children.

Speaking at the meeting on the School Safety Package held in Kamëz municipality, Demo highlighted the institutions’ commitment to guaranteeing full protection for children across the country, adding that there will be “full 360-degree protection and safety for children.”

“We are four ministers at the meeting today, to offer full 360-degree protection and safety for the children of our country,” Demo declared, in a conversation with pupils, teachers and parents attended by Education Minister Kumbaro, Health and Social Welfare Minister Spahiu, Agriculture Minister Salla and mayor Suli.

He underlined that safety starts inside the school premises and continues with ensuring security in the perimeter, the quality of food in institutions where this service is provided, and the physical wellbeing of pupils.

Demo stressed that every school across the territory already implements the School Safety Package, while the State Police is accompanying it with concrete actions, especially in ensuring security in the perimeter of educational institutions.

“There is zero tolerance for acts or actions that could endanger the wellbeing of our children,” Demo said, stressing that the objective is to create a calm and safe environment where pupils can focus on learning and give their best.

According to Minister Demo, the School Safety Package is not just a reaction mechanism but a coordinated prevention system, in which communication between security officers, psychologists, teachers, police and parents is essential for the timely identification and prevention of any negative phenomenon.

“There is zero tolerance and it is the reddest possible line that the State Police has already drawn when it comes to guaranteeing all those elements that should make a parent, a family calm and above all safe about the future of their children as they go to school,” the minister said.

Demo also praised the cooperation between central and local institutions, stressing that implementing the School Safety Package requires daily commitment and continuous improvement through communication with all the actors involved.