Police officers armed with guns, pepper spray and bulletproof vests have been deployed to schools on the Cape Flats to protect pupils from gangland violence. The initiative has drawn sharp criticism from the national Education Department, and criminolgists have urged caution.The Western Cape education department, the City of Cape Town and US Consul General Teddy Taylor yesterday unveiled the deployment of 36 metro police officers at 18 schools, in Nyanga, Gugulethu, Hanover Park, Bishop Lavis, Manenberg and Delft.There are two policeman at each school. Known as school resource officers, they might also be armed with stun guns in future.The member of the Cape Town mayoral committee for safety and security, JP Smith, said the city had adopted the plan from the US, and was planning to cover more schools.The schools chosen had the most reported incidents of violence.The officers had the same powers as police officers. "They can search, seize [and] they can arrest. They can issue compliance notices."Smith said though the officers were meant mainly to remove intruders, they would also deal with violent pupils.Speaking after the launch of the programme at Cedar High School in Mitchell's Plain, education MEC Debbie Schafer said the problem of drugs and crime in Western Cape schools was serious."We would like to be able to focus on education alone, but we unfortunately can't because we have so many issues like this to deal with."Incidents of school violence that underscore her point include:The torching of a Khayelitsha teacher's car inside the school premises of Manyano High School earlier this week;The vandalising of Aurial College in Oudtshoorn and intimidation of pupils by gangsters late last year, which forced the school to close for a week; andThe siege of Downeville Primary School in Manenberg by gangsters fighting a turf war last year.But the national Education Department does not support armed guards or police officers at schools.Spokesman Elijah Mahlangu said this step would only heighten tensions, placing children in danger and creating mistrust"Having armed guards or police officers at schools is not the answer. Children are not attacked, maimed and killed only at schools. More often than not it happens when they come to and from school. That is where a lot of the protection and safety is needed, on the streets," he said."Naturally, if there is violence in a community, that violence will spill over into the schools in that community."The solution, said Mahlangu, would come from people taking..