Violence and threats against schools are increasingly common – the right alarm system can be crucial to stop violence in time
Unfortunately, in recent years we have experienced that schools are exposed to threats and violence where perpetrators have entered the school grounds with the aim of wounding or killing, an area that should be associated with joy, safety and security. Our job at COBS is to contribute with security and safety for many businesses, one of which is precisely schools. Unfortunately, it is needed more than ever today.
According to Skolverket, one way to deal with external threats is to actively work with crisis preparedness. However, Skolverket does not clarify which solutions should be chosen.
Our security expert says that
“Just as Skolverket believes, active work is required from each school to ensure that effective routines and methods are available to use in a crisis situation. But it is therefore important that the school brings in the right solutions for the right needs. The solutions are decisive for how quickly an alarm can be raised and how quickly everyone is reached by an alarm. So it can be a matter of seconds, and then the right solution is crucial.”
Today we see that more and more schools have some form of communication system in their mobile phones. We believe that this is good, but if it is to be used in situations with ongoing deadly violence, it is associated with great risk and goes against the Skolverket’s idea that “everyone has the right to safety”. Here are some of the shortcomings alarms in mobiles at schools involve;
- Not everyone always has their cell phone nearby.
- Most teachers ask their students to hand in their cell phones during class.
- In order to act on an alarm, the recipient must actively see the information. There is therefore a risk that a recipient looks at the message too late.
- Or at worst not at all.
- It is necessary to be present and calm in order to be able to unlock a mobile and be able to actively raise the alarm.
- An alarm message to be written in connection with ongoing deadly violence is not only impractical, we would argue that it is next to impossible.
- Mobile networks or data networks may be subject to overload or be down, which means that it is neither possible to send an alarm or receive an alarm.
This way you create the right conditions to be able to handle a crisis situation
COBS local speaker solutions for school security means that the sender always has full control over who receives the emergency message and when.
In a situation of ongoing deadly violence or threats, our solution allows students, staff and visitors to be reached by the correct pre-recorded emergency speaker announcement by simply listening. Everything happens in real time and without interaction – quickly, efficiently and clearly, and the information is played until it is manually interrupted, which minimizes the risk of someone not getting the information. It can hardly be safer than this, and this is exactly what is critical in an emergency.
We urge more schools to review preparedness and develop a well-thought-out plan for how alarms and communication should work. Being able to act quickly in an emergency, and trust that the right information reaches everyone at the school creates security, and in extreme cases can be life-changing. We tailor our solutions to each school’s needs and wishes.