IntroductionA police officer’s job is to protect citizens and uphold the law. Some believe that police officers should be stationed in schools to safeguard students. They think that a police presence in educational institutions will help solve the safety problems in schools. Others believe that police officers are not needed on school grounds. They think that police officers belong in schools only when in an emergency situation. Should police officers be stationed at Korean schools? Let’s see what our debaters think.
Henry (Constructive)Korean schools should have police officers. Many issues can arise in schools. There could be fights, strikes, or protests. Police presence helps keep students safe if any of these issues should occur. Also, police officers would make sure that strangers do not trespass on school grounds. If schools had police officers, students could concentrate on their studies without worrying about any safety issues. Parents would also feel more relieved sending their kids to school.
Ashley (Constructive) Korean schools should not have police officers. Police presence would scare students. I personally would feel very nervous if I saw police officers patrolling my school. I think that the majority of the students would not want police officers in their schools, either. Students are not criminals! Any safety problems in schools can be taken care of by teachers, nurses, and principals. Furthermore, police should be dedicated to more serious crime that happens outside of schools.
Henry (Rebuttal)Students will not feel nervous once they realize that the police officers are there to protect them. I know that students are not criminals. However, there is still a chance that dangerous events could happen in school. Police officers would help control those dangerous situations. Finally, there should be a maximum of one or two police officers at each school. Therefore, there are still many police officers who will be dedicated to crime happening outside of schools.
Ashley (Rebuttal)Most of the issues that arise in schools can be controlled by school employees. Police should be called if there is an emergency, like a strike or a protest. However, there is no need for police officers to be permanently stationed in schools. Schools can protect their students from trespassers by installing security cameras around the school. They could also hire a security guard to keep watch. Police officers do not belong in schools.
Judge’s CommentsThe winner of today’s debate is Henry. Ashley committed the logical fallacy called “appeal to widespread belief.” Debaters commit this fallacy when they claim that an idea is true because the majority of people believe it. Ashley said, “I think the majority of the students would not want police officers in their schools, either.” Just because a majority of people do not want police officers in their schools does not mean that police officers should not be in schools.