Extra security has been drafted in to Washington Mall to help address “unruly” pupils who gathered at the shopping hub after school.

Students have been asked to keep a walkway clear and move outside instead of congregating between businesses.

Police said last week they would work with the Ministry of Education, private schools and shopkeepers in and around the Washington Mall area to curb antisocial behaviour.

Martin Weekes, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations), added that the BPS were aware the problems were caused by “a small minority of students from schools across the island”.

A Washington Properties spokesman said yesterday: “We decided to bring in extra security to assist our own regular team with unruly schoolchildren who congregate in the mall after school.

“We will monitor the situation and determine whether the extra security will be required permanently.

“We are liaising with our tenants, the police and headteachers to mitigate the problem.”

Basil Gibbons, who is employed by Security Associates Ltd, said on Monday that he and a co-worker were brought in to prevent “posses” of pupils in one of the mall’s thoroughfares.

He explained: “We make sure they’re outside, they don’t gather; make sure that the space is clear for people to walk by.”

Mr Gibbons said the students — who could number 30 to 40 — responded well.

He added: “They’re good, I have no problems from them for now.”

Shop workers said schoolchildren often visited Bermuda Bubble Tea and Treats, a sweet and gift shop.

The two businesses are in the same part of the mall, which meant the young people were known to gather between them.

Ciera Garrafa, the owner of Treats, said last week that she contacted three public and four private schools to seek a solution "to what has become a major challenge“ during after-school hours.

She added: “My team and I were having to constantly tell students from multiple schools about their behaviour when inside my store.”

A temporary ban of Dellwood Middle School students, which had the support of the principal, was implemented to defuse antisocial behaviour.

Ms Garrafa said: “All students are welcome into the store provided they adhere to basic rules of etiquette and behaviour.”

She highlighted last Thursday that the behaviour of Dellwood pupils had been impeccable since they were allowed back into the business.

Gerlie Barbosa, the co-owner of Bermuda Bubble Tea, said yesterday that the extra security would likely be enough to discourage any disorder from a few school students.

She added: “Kids will be kids; some of them will be on the unruly side but most of them are not, so you just can’t treat everybody the same.”

Ms Barbosa said staff at her café had not reported any negative incidents with the students.

At a different business, one woman, who asked not to be named, believed that a congregation of pupils sometimes made it uncomfortable for other people to walk through the shopping centre.

She added: “I don’t know what the answer is but it’s just about making sure that the customers aren’t deterred from coming in the mall.”

The woman noted that the students were not aggressive or rude, “just in the way”.

At another shop, the volume of the pupils was highlighted.

A woman said: “I was not so much concerned, it's just that they were loud; I just closed my door.”

Police called on the public last week to help crack down on antisocial behaviour after a video of an altercation between two schoolgirls circulated on social media.

The video showed the pupils fighting at Washington Mall while other students watched.

Police confirmed that a large group of pupils from various schools had gathered near the mall and that adults did their best to stop the altercation.

A BPS spokesman said yesterday: “Officers from the Bermuda Police Service Community Action Team continue to pay passing attention to Washington Mall, as was the case prior to the events of last week.”

He said dialogue between business owners or operators and police was continuing.

The spokesman added: “Discussions with the Ministry of Education are in the planning stage.”

Mr Weekes said last Friday: “We do not wish to be seen to blame all schoolchildren for the behaviour of a few or one school above others.

“The BPS will be working with all the schools to identify anyone seen on cameras to be committing offences and to put solutions in place.”

He added: “Meetings are being arranged with the various stakeholders to discuss additional approaches, which can be used to bolster measures already in place.

“Measures already implemented include school visits to talk about the avoidance of negative activity, peer mediation involving our dedicated school officer, as well as regular foot patrols within the City of Hamilton, particularly in areas such as the bus terminal and Washington Mall, where students tend to gather.”