Troops in schools

Detained: Teachers and friends of the trainees sit by a street corner after being rounded up the police. Their disappearance sparked nationwide protests and has turned into a crisis for the Mexican government. - AFP

While soldiers guarding schools may be seen as a welcome move, their presence in a Mexican city may again draw unnecessary attention from crime gangs.

FRESH white paint covers the soot from the fire that criminals set in the middle school principal’s office in a Acapulco neighbourhood, where gang-linked violence interrupted classes for weeks.