How Schools Benefit From Trained Security Guards
The violent events of the last few years have made it impossible for parents to not worry about the safety of their children at school. The reality is that the average American student has an extremely small risk of dying in a school shooting during their life. Riding in cars and swimming are still more dangerous behaviors than attending school.
There are still risks at every school, however. Some may be life-threatening, but most are just disturbances that interrupt the ability of the child to get the education they deserve. Security guards can provide the balance that many classrooms and school districts need for protection and order, and their assistance often pays for itself.
Reduce Disciplinary Problems
It is students, rather than intruders, who are often the main culprits in incidents that take place within the school. There are the somewhat minor issues like kids that sneak onto campus late or those that try to leave too soon. And vandalism, although it isn’t dangerous, can be an expensive concern for any school district.
More aggressive incidents like fights between students, attacks on teachers, and even sexual assaults occur in schools around the country. From 2011 to 2015 there were 17,000 sexual assaults in the United States committed by students. Chronic bullying is another social problem commonly experienced in schools.
Security guards can help stop students from committing these acts. Security is a high level of protection for children and teachers against the day-to-day problems that take place on campus.
Exposure to Authority
Many children don’t have regular contact with uniformed officials. Some only see these types of authority figures when someone, like their parents or someone on TV, is in trouble.
Uniformed security guards on campus help children develop a more positive opinion of authority figures. Young children gain a better understanding of who to go to when they are out in public, lost, or in distress. Students or others intent on causing problems may not appreciate a security guard’s existence, but the others will learn to trust and respect the people protecting them.
Increase Investment Return
In-person protection is much more of a deterrent than an electronic system that is vulnerable to hacking or being overridden. Guards have the potential to stop an event that is taking place instead of just offering some form of proof of the perpetrators after the crime occurs.
Security guards are also important for crowd control when an event occurs. They help calm people, remove people from the area of danger, and secure the situation. Their presence can prevent additional injury or damage. Security guards are an affordable option because their actions help to lower the cost, both in human victims and reduced property damage.
Offer Complete Protection
Surveillance cameras, door locking systems, alarms and all other forms of electronic security have their benefits. In addition, there is now a security app that can send a signal instantly to any subscriber that is near an area of danger and give people the opportunity to send an alert as well.
Innovative, modern solutions enable people to get to safety or become aware of problems faster, but only another person can stop the situation. Security guards are trained to assess a threat and to address it in the least aggressive and most effective manner possible.
At Security Services Northwest, Inc. we offer a complete line of security services including surveillance, guards and our own personally designed Shepherd Shield app that was discussed above. Contact us to develop a system that is affordable and provides the level of safety needed for your staff, students, and their parents.