From late distress alerts to prevention before attack
In response to the Inspector-General of Police’s zero tolerance for attacks on schools and the abduction or kidnapping of pupils and students, the Police Community Relations Committee conducted grassroots-based research into a school early-warning system. The central aim is clear: do not allow the attack on a school to happen.
The exercise identified a major gap between schools and the communities around them. Community members may observe abnormalities such as betting centres, alcohol sales points, student loitering, cultism, damaged or unusual fencing, nonchalant security conduct, strange movement and harmful parental attitudes, yet these warning signs may not reach the right authority early enough.
It also identified the absence of a credible security-based Safe School database jointly supported by schools, communities and Police representatives. Without dependable records, emergency response and crime-control planning become slower and less precise.
Another critical gap is the gross under-use of Police Control Room numbers, Divisional Police Officer contact channels and the national emergency number, 112. Late distress alerts naturally produce late or belated response.
