Rise in SA public school violence, weapons as cops called almost 1200 times in a year

Teachers are having to call the cops at record levels - and students bringing weapons to class is among the key reasons. Search the incidents at your school.

A surge in weapons on school grounds was among the top reasons public schools were forced to call in police officers last year.

Police call-outs to government school campuses reached a record of almost 1200 across the state in 2023.

Violent incidents prompted the most triple-zero calls, followed by weapons and students running away.

Murray Bridge High School made the most calls for help (32) followed by Craigmore High School (31).

Education Department data, released following a Freedom of Information request, shows police attendance at campuses has been steadily rising from 996 incidents in 2021 to 1187 last year.

Over that three-year period, Craigmore High School called in police the most (81 times) followed by Paralowie School (75) and Playford International School (74).

Comparable data on Independent and Catholic schools is not publicly available.

Education Minister Blair Boyer said schools were right to call triple-0 when student safety was at risk.

However, he noted early data for this year showed a slowing in the trend which he hoped meant government policies were “starting to take effect”.

These included banning mobile phones in schools, hiring wellbeing workers at 65 sites, installing security guards at some campuses and making it easier to ban abusive parents.

A new partnership with SA Police will also stress the consequences of bullying and violence to students.

“Violence against anyone, a staff member or a student, will not be tolerated and I support schools in calling police out when they need their assistance,” Mr Boyer said.

Since 2021 the number of triple-zero calls sparked by weapons brought to public schools spiked from 29 to 114.

Almost 70 students, teachers or parents were arrested on school grounds over the same period.

Other call-outs related to property damage, break-ins, intruders on school grounds, drug or alcohol use, injuries or illness.

A small number of emergency incidents, parental custody disputes and cases of staff misconduct prompted calls to police.

There were also 10 deaths reported, although the circumstances are not known.

Playford International College topped the list of police call-outs in 2022 (29) and Paralowie School ranked first the year before (26).

A Education Department spokeswoman said schools with larger student numbers “or that are managing complex issues, may also have greater need for support from other agencies such as the police”.

Opposition education spokesman John Gardner said he was “especially troubled to note the high numbers of weapons we’re seeing in schools”.

“Every South Australian family deserves to know that when they send their child to school they’re not only getting a great education but that they are safe as well,” he said.

“Of course we want to see these numbers heading in the other direction, so ensuring our schools are safe spaces must be a top priority for the government.”