Police visit Berlin school after teachers apply for help with violent students

Police were dispatched to a school in a depressed district of the German capital on Friday after teachers complained that student violence was out of control.

Photo: Police visit Berlin school after teachers apply for help with violent students

Up to six officers would be posted in front of the Ruetli high school in Berlin 's Neukoelln district throughout the school day to offer a point of contact for both students and teachers, police spokesman Bernhard Schodrowski said.

He said police were in regular contact with school officials, but had been unaware of the alleged extent of the problem.

The teachers' complaints, contained in a letter made public earlier this week, come amid debates in Germany about how to tackle unemployment, raise education standards and better integrate immigrants.

More than 80 percent of the 224 students at the Ruetli school are from families of foreign origin, reports the AP.

D.M.