SECURITY ISSUES FOR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Introduction

In recent years, school security has become a hot topic of discussion, particularly for international schools located in some of the world’s hot spots.  While crime, internal and external, has always been a concern, the threat of terrorism now looms large.  While diplomatic missions abroad may have a high level of security, international schools, which many assume to have semi-diplomatic status, often have minimal security and are potential 'soft targets' for a terrorist group that wishes to target a particular country or the 'West' in general.

It would be easy to play up the terrorist threat.  A school would be an obvious high impact target and as we saw on the 11^th of September 2002, terrorists have no compunction killing innocent civilians.  However, historically, terrorist attacks on schools are rare and those that have occurred took place in the Middle East some years ago.  While the risk is probably low in most locations, the impact would be such to make practical precautions absolutely necessary.

This article discusses some of the key security issues international schools face and offers some recommendations to improve security in a cost effective, low profile manner.

Risk Assessment

When considering the most efficient way to secure a school, we must first consider the threats that are faced.  An international school in Singapore will face different threats from a school in Manila, Munich or Shanghai.  A thorough Risk Assessment provides the foundation for a school security programme.

Possible threats faced by schools can range from internal theft and pilferage, violence amongst students, and trespassers on school property, to bombings and bomb threats, shootings, kidnaps and hostage or siege situations.

When considering the threats faced in a particular country, many will be obvious based on daily newspaper reports and consular warnings.  Information from as many sources as possible should be collected and given some basic analysis.  Besides obvious sources such as the press and embassies, information can also be collected from business chambers' of commerce, from the local police and from commercial security companies.

Before investing money in security a school needs however to have a realistic assessment of the risks it faces.

Security outside the School Fence

An effective security programme requires depth; therefore, a school security programme must extend beyond the school fence which can be achieved in a number of ways.  Liaison with the local police, neighbouring schools and security personnel from neighbouring buildings can provide useful information on the local crime situation in the area surrounding the school, can encourage the police to patrol around the school more often and can mobilise extra eyes and ears around the school to report any suspicious activity during and after school hours.

Traffic control outside the school is also important.  A terrorist attack against a school could include the use of a car bomb; therefore, it is important that vehicles not be allowed to park near any of the school buildings.  While difficult to achieve, ideally not cars should be parked within 20 metres of any school buildings.

Before a school is attacked by terrorists or criminals, the actual attack is preceded by a period of surveillance.  The attackers will want to know all they possibly can about their target – the level of security, the vigilance of staff, the types of security measures in place, etc.  The best chance of preventing a terrorist or criminal attack is to detect this surveillance during the planning stages of the operation.  Surveillance detection can be carried out by the school security guards, by alert staff, parents and older students.  Surveillance detection should be part of all school security programmes and can be based on a 'stranger danger' education campaign.  Basically, everyone needs to know that anything they see around the outside of the school that they think is suspicious should be reported.

By collecting information about the local crime and terrorist threats, by preventing vehicles from getting close to the school buildings and by have as many ‘eyes and ears’ outside the school fence alert for surveillance or suspicious activity, a school can effectively create a security infrastructure that does not just rely on a perimeter fence as the first line of protection.

Physical Protection and Access Control

Most international schools, particularly those in more ‘unstable’ locations, have a reasonable level of physical security and access control, so there is no need to discuss this in too much detail here.

Suffice to say, a school should have a perimeter fence which delineates school property and which acts as a barrier to unauthorised access.  Ideally this can be a chain link wire mesh fence or a solid brick wall at least six feet high and topped with an anti-climb guard such as metal spikes or barbed wire.  Of course ascetics need to be taken into consideration, as a school should not look like a prison.  Sometimes compromises need to be made, but these should be balanced against the identified risks.  If a chain link wire mesh fence is used for all or part of the perimeter barrier it should be covered in an opaque material to prevent those outside the school looking in.

The school buildings themselves should ideally have been constructed with security in mind but this is rarely the case.  All building perimeter doors should be of solid construction, mounted in solid door frames and fitted with good quality locks.  Fire exit doors should be fitted with push bar locks and should be self closing.  After hours all perimeter doors should be secured.

Besides the doors, windows are the most obvious route for illegal entry into a building.  In some locations it is appropriate to fit bars or grilles to windows, particularly at ground level.  Where this is not considered necessary or appropriate, windows can be fitted with mylar security film, as made by 3M.  This film, fitted on the inside of the windows, not only makes forced entry difficult but also can be used to reduce deadly glass fragmentation in the event of a bomb blast.  Where there is a risk of bombings all windows, especially those facing roads, should be fitted with security film.  Security film should also be fitted to glass doors on the building’s perimeter.

Good lighting and the use of intruder alarm systems and CCTV camera systems should be used to supplement the school’s physical security.  Ideally, the CCTV cameras should cover the area around the school to help identify hostile surveillance.

Access control must be considered at three locations – the pedestrian access points through the perimeter fence, vehicle access into the school and access into the school building proper.  Ideally, all staff and students should be issued with photo ID cards and these should be worn at all times when in the school.  Visitors should be issued a visitor’s ID card and be required to sign in and out of the school.

Vehicle access is particularly important where there is a risk of car bombs.  No unauthorised vehicles should be allowed into the school premises under any circumstances.  Physical barriers should be in place to prevent unauthorised vehicle access.  These barriers can include metal gates, removable bollards, and manual or electronic boom gates.  Electronic boom gates that use an access card are a very effective form of access control that requires minimal manpower to supervise.

Security Personnel

Not all international schools use dedicated security personnel in the form of uniformed security guards.  In many cases facilities or building management staff fulfil security functions such as access control and after-hours building patrols.

Ideally, the security function should be separate from the building management function.  Uniformed security guards should be used to provide security.  These guards must be properly trained and licensed according to local legal requirements.  Ideally, they should work eight hour shifts, but if this is not possible 12 hour shifts are acceptable as long as the guards don’t work too much overtime.

The quality of security guards is key to their effectiveness.  During the tender or selection process for a guard company, minimum requirements should be set for the guards posted to the school.  These requirements can include age, level of fitness, level of education, and military or police background.  All guards should be subject to a background check to ensure their qualifications and experience are true and to ensure they do not have criminal records.

The main functions of security personnel at schools is control of access onto the school property and into the school buildings proper, patrols in and around the school, surveillance detection outside the school fence and to respond to security and safety emergencies.  In addition to basic pre-deployment training, the guards should also receive regular refresher training which covers their duties and responsibilities.

Security Policies and Procedures

Every school should have written security policies and procedures specific to its own location.  As a minimum this documentation should include an assessment of the local and national security risks, the school’s security requirements including guarding, physical and technical security, security training and education requirements for guards, staff, students and possibly their parents and domestic helpers, policy as regards access control, reporting procedures, etc.  Guard instructions must be prepared outlining, in detail, their duties and responsibilities and the actions they should take in the event of an emergency.  This documentation should be available in the local language to ensure the guards fully understand what is required of them.

School Buses

Travelling to school by bus is a fact of life for many students in international schools.  While there have not been any significant security incidents involving school buses, their use can be a significant vulnerability.  The student has left the security of home and has not yet reached the security of the school.

School buses are vulnerable to terrorist and criminal attack because of their predictability.  The pick-up and drop-off points are set, as are the timings and routes the buses take to and from the school.

Some measure of security can be achieved by maintaining a low profile.  The buses should not be too obviously international school buses and, therefore, should not have markings which identify them as such.  Ideally, if the buses are supplied by an outside contractor, they should be periodically changed so the school bus is not always of the same type and colour.  The driver can put up a sign in the window marking it as the school bus on arrival at the pick-up point and then remove the sign before moving out.

At the pick-up and drop-off points the bus driver and any attendants should be on the look out for hostile surveillance or any suspicious activity.  Parents dropping off or picking up their children should also be on the look out for suspicious persons or activities.

Where possible bus routes should be varied to maintain some unpredictability.  Bus drivers and attendants should be briefed on the actions they should take on noticing suspicious activity or in the event of a security incident or other emergency.  Safe havens, such as police stations along the bus routes should also be identified.  There should also be primary and back-up communications between the bus and the school, ideally radio and cellular telephone.

While school buses are a weak link in a school’s security programme, by implementing these recommendations, the risk can be reduced.  It times of heightened tension it may be necessary to provide security escorts for buses.  However, if this is considered necessary, it is probably too dangerous to travel on the roads anyway.

Emergency Management Planning

In addition to written security policy and procedures, an international school should also have written emergency or crisis management plans in place.  Almost all schools have plans in place to deal with fire.  However, consideration should be given to having plans for bomb threats, security incidents inside the school, security incidents near the school or at other international schools in the same city or country etc.  Once these plans have been prepared in a usable, checklist format, staff and in some cases students, need to be educated in the actions they should take in the event of a given emergency.  While evacuation is the normal response to fire, this may not be the best course of action in the event of a bomb threat.  The bomb could actually be in a car outside the school designed to target evacuating students that have left the safety of the school building.

The plans should be periodically reviewed and contact lists should always be up to date.  It is also advantageous to occasionally involve parents, embassies, the police and other emergency services in drills and exercises.

Training and Education

The most important part of any school’s security programme is the training and education of all the school’s stakeholders.  Staff, students and parents who are aware of their surroundings and on the look out for suspicious activity are the best security a school can have.

Students, particularly the younger ones, can be given security awareness though ‘stranger danger’ discussions.  Students must be encouraged to report to their teachers or parents anything they see or hear which they think is strange or suspicious, whether it be the same car outside the school a number of days in a row, strangers taking photos of the school or even just loitering outside the school with no particular purpose.

School staff should also be trained to be security aware and of the need to remind students to be aware of their surroundings.  Staff can be briefed on the actual and potential risks the school faces.  They also need to be educated in the actions they must take in the event of an emergency.

Parents and domestic helpers who take their employer’s children to and from school should also be included in the school’s security programme.  Through seminars and/or newsletter, they can be offered simple security tips and reminded to report anything they see around the school which might be suspicious.

Security education can be linked to safety education and should be an ongoing process which creates hundreds if not thousands of sets of eyes watching the area around the school for hostile surveillance or other suspicious activity.