A relocation of the Magistrates Court on Coral Street is currently not on the table. That was the word from Prime Minister Allen Chastanet on Tuesday, as he made his way to the day’s House of Assembly sitting. On Monday, parents and teachers from Ave Maria Girls’ Infant School in Castries called for the urgent need to relocate the court. Their grievance is that in the past six weeks, three bomb scares have led to the evacuation of the school, resulting in dire consequences.
Last Thursday, while most of the nation was preoccupied with the fire at the historic Adjodha building, the school faced its own challenge: a bomb scare at the learning institution and at the nearby court. Teachers and students followed evacuation procedures and headed to the Marchand field. During this exercise a number of students suffered trauma and had to be transported to Victoria Hospital. Prior to this incident, there was another bomb scare on October 17 at the court.
Ave Maria’s Parent Teacher Association is adamant that the circumstances are unacceptable, and demanded that the troubling situation be dealt with. On Monday, teachers, parents and students staged a walk from the school to the Ministry of Education’s office at the Francis Compton Building. They were greeted by over ten police officers at the door. After brief negotiations, three school personnel were eventually allowed in and an appointment with ministry officials was scheduled.
Said an emotional PTA vice president Ms. Sylvriana Preville-Howell: “This is not something we can accept at this moment. You have bomb scares twice a week and you have teachers having to run to the Marchand field. How is that supposed to help our children learn at school when they’re not in class but instead running for cover?”
Aaron Alexander, an irate parent, described as “wicked” those responsible for the threats. He had offered this advice to the government: “This courthouse in the centre of town must be removed; that’s not negotiable! It has to come out because that’s a hazard. This courthouse has to be isolated or located in a place where there are not many other buildings. The children are affected so greatly. I mean, children reached hospital. Let’s have a heart in this country!”
Bus drivers from Rock Hall/Pavee Minibus Association soon added their voice to the outcry. When the court was opened on Coral Street, the bus stand was moved from there to Chisel Street. The Association’s PR officer claimed commuters, the younger ones in particular, were in consequence negatively affected. They had trouble finding the bus stand. Besides, he said, when it rains the stand floods, inconveniencing travellers. He sympathized with the Ave Maria students and called on the authorities to return the bus stand to its original address on Coral Street.
“Not right now,” said the prime minister, when asked by this reporter if government was considering the relocation of the court. What is of greater importance, he said, are the protocols, whether or not they were adhered to. The prime minister said that he is satisfied that they were followed, but there were other considerations. First, he questioned why the young students were evacuated to Marchand. He said he had asked the Ministry of Education to look into this. Secondly, and with reference to ten kids who were reportedly taken to hospital, he said it had not yet been established what exactly was the protocol process for very young kids and whether in this case it had been followed.
The prime minister expressed concern that moving the court would set a precedent, and in any case would have no impact on the core problem—the bomb threats. He promised government was putting in place the mechanisms by which to apprehend the offenders. “Bomb threats have not been restricted just to courthouses,” the prime minister noted, “so do you keep moving people around, their homes and businesses, all dependent on the threats?” He reminded that someone had recently been charged in relation to bomb threats. Besides, he said, “an additional 300 CCTV cameras will soon be installed.”
