During the program Direct Impactof Guatevisionanalysts addressed the alerts for alleged shootings in schools and colleges, after the Public Ministry (MP)the National Civil Police (PNC) and the Ministry of Education (Mineduc) They will report complaints, incidents in 11 educational centers and actions to identify those who originated or spread the messages.
The MP reported that the Prosecutor’s Office for Adolescents in Conflict with the Criminal Law received six complaints related to threats spread in educational centers under the challenge “Shooting tomorrow”.
According to official information, Four complaints were presented at the MP’s headquarters, one in Jalapa and another in Sacatepéquez. All are linked to messages that generated alarm among students, teachers and parents.
The investigations are carried out in coordination with the PNC and the Ministry of the Interiorthrough intelligence units and the Cyber Crime Department, to identify those responsible for creating and disseminating the alerts.
The Vice Minister of Education, Francisco Cabrera, reported that 11 middle level educational centers reported incidents related to these threats, nine from the private sector and two from the official sector, mainly in the department of Guatemala.
PNC warns legal consequences
The PNC warned that these messages will not be treated as simple jokes. According to the institution, those who spread threats could face criminal proceedings for instill public panicin addition to administrative sanctions in educational centers.
“We will not allow jokes in bad taste to put at risk the emotional health of our students and the tranquility of Guatemalan families.“, indicated the PNC.
The institution also noted that these actions “They are not simple games: they constitute potential crime”, because they can saturate emergency resources and generate risk conditions.
Furthermore, the PNC stated that those responsible will be brought to the disposal of the corresponding courts and recalled that, when minors are involved, there could also be civil liability for parents or legal guardians.
Analysts call for psychological attention and prevention
During Direct Impactanalysts pointed out that the phenomenon must be addressed beyond disciplinary sanctions. One of the points raised was to investigate the origin of the threats, access to weapons and the influence of groups or social networks.
“This is not just about the fact that the boy arrived with a weapon and we already expelled him. This can really be chaos in education”was said during the program.
Analysts also linked the case with the so-called imitation effectconsidering that some students could replicate behaviors seen on social networks or in other countries.
“It should not be taken as a joke, it should be taken seriously.“, it was stated in the analysis. Another highlighted point was the need for psychological support for students involved or affected by the threats.
“The risk remains“analysts warned, by pointing out that it is not enough to send students home or suspend activities without investigating the links behind the messages. It was also indicated that parents should seek professional support when they detect warning signs.
“It has many consequences because he is expelled from the educational center and may even have some type of investigation.”, was explained during the program.
The authorities asked directors of educational centers to activate their security protocols and asked the population to anonymously report the 110 and 1510 any information about the authors of these threats.
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