School security and safety

THE EDITOR, Madam:

We were all alarmed at the news concerning a seven-year-old child who was found with a submachine gun by the police on a school compound.

The prevalence of firearms in this country continues to escalate despite efforts by border protection units and the constabulary to stem the flow of guns. Clearly, this minor was used as a means of transportation for later retrieval by someone in our society who has evil intent.

The Ministry of Education and Youth needs to conduct a comprehensive physical security risk assessment of schools. Most of our schools have gaps at their first line of defence, i.e., at the perimeter fence/walls.

Some schools are co-located beside volatile communities which makes them more prone to be a place to pre-stow weapons and to use students as transporters.

I believe that the national school security and safety policy needs to be strengthened with a focus on preventative measures that can be employed to keep weapons out of our schools. There have been instances where students and teachers have been harmed by bladed weapons.

The national school security and safety policy contains good initiatives, most of which are low-hanging fruits that can be fixed administratively from within respective schools. However, security is a broad concern which requires security professionals to adequately look at all security-related risks and to make recommendations for the appropriate risk treatment.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

After conducting a security risk assessment of the schools, the ‘Outside-In’ approach should be adopted – allocate funds to fix any vulnerability at the first line of defence, which is the perimeter wall.

Configure entry points to allow for channelled access control. Some schools may require the installation of walk-through metal detectors, use of hand-held metal detectors and physical searches by professional security personnel.

Install CCTV cameras to cover suspect areas. The treatment employed will depend on the risks.

Finally, instill a culture of security awareness among the school population.

Security in schools should be seen as part of the administration of the school, the board should treat it as an integral component of its business process.

Instead of focusing on minimising costs, we should see and position security as an investment that drives value – nothing is more valuable than life. This means integrating security into the business goals and making it a fundamental part of the strategic planning of schools.

CARLOS PIPHER, CPP, PCI,

PSP