Post-Peshawar attack, cops review security at schools
Learning lessons from the recent terrorist attack on a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, the city police is leaving no stone unturned to assure protection of the school kids here. Authorities have formed teams of policemen, who are visiting the schools to check the safety provisions.
Learning lessons from the recent terrorist attack on a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, the city police is leaving no stone unturned to assure protection of the school kids here. Authorities have formed teams of policemen, who are visiting the schools to check the safety provisions.
The UT police department has also designed a form that contains questions about the security arrangement made in the schools in the city. The schools have been directed to reveal in this form the basic details, including the number of CCTV cameras, gates and security guards deployed in the school.
“All the station house officers have been directed to scrutinise the security set up in the schools under their jurisdiction. We have directed the school authorities to install CCTV cameras at the entry and exit gates and also they should install cameras in the corridors to check any suspicious movement. Moreover, they have been asked to make at least two entries and exit gates each in the school,” said UT SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill.
The officer said the traffic police would also be regularly patrolling during the school hours in order to check any suspicious activity. Principal of DAV Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 15, Rakesh Sachdeva said the teams from the local police station visited the school.
“I filled up the form carrying the security questions. They have asked us to make more gates in the school. Thus, we have made a committee to check the safety equipment installed in our school. We will also install more CCTV cameras and security guards as per the requirement,” said Rakesh.The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a circular on December 19 stressing on the need for a standard operating procedure (SOP) for dealing with terrorist attacks on schools.The schools have been asked to adopt preventive measures, including having a concrete boundary wall, with three to four gates and deploying at least three guards at a gate. The circular has directed the schools to give a telephone connection at the gate so that the guard can contact the police in case of need. Concertina wire may be fixed on the iron grills above the boundary wall to deter anyone from jumping over the wall. The schools have also been directed to install alarm system in order to alert the entire security and staff. Moreover, according to the circular, the schools should conduct the mock drills on the situations like when a child is kidnapped or has been made hostage.
