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1. 50 Term 4, 2019 | school-news.com.auHEALTH & SAFETY
By Rosie Clarke, Editor
Theft and vandalism
plagues schools
around the country.
Just last month, $16,000 of
damage was caused during a
break-in at Wahroonga Adventist
School. Meanwhile, Port Hacking
High School in New South
Wales has been dealing with the
fallout after vandals graffitied
obscenities across the school
oval during the holidays. Geelong
police even took measures
to warn schools that they are
more susceptible to break-ins
during the holidays as vandals
look to steal computers
and other devices.
Preventing a break-
in comes down to
security procedure and
protocol. Particularly
as schools invest in
digital technologies,
outdoor learning aids
and furniture designs,
security needs should be
reassessed regularly.
The first step is risk
assessment: some state
departments and many
security suppliers can provide
a security assessment that
is tailored to your school. If
your school meets certain
risk requirements, it will
qualify for more government
funding to install intruder alert
systems and more. Alternatively,
if your school has suffered
property damage in the past,
the government may pay for a
formal security audit. For schools
that don’t meet the criteria for
additional funding, you can
undertake your own audit by
following the risk management
tools provided online by your
state department or use a
licensed security consultant.
Once risk areas have been
identified, there are a multitude
of ways to strengthen security:
clearly signposting alarm
systems, CCTV and security
patrols is a great way to help
deter vandals and thieves.
Experts suggest placing
your signs behind a see-
through fence, or somewhere
clearly visible but difficult
to deface or hide behind.
Security lighting is also
important as it will prevent blind
spots or dark shadows in CCTV
footage and strong visibility
will act as a deterrent if
would-be vandals know
they could easily be seen.
Security lighting and
infra-red lights have
the added benefit
of surprising
trespassers,
discouraging them
from entering.
The sudden bright lights
may also trigger neighbours
to keep an eye out or call
police. Professionals should
be brought in to install the
lights in places that will be
most impactful and most
difficult to deface or disarm.
One of the most effective
ways to secure a school is to
establish a strong perimeter.
With a solid boundary fence,
onlookers will note that the
school is secure and students,
parents and teachers can feel
safe during term time. Fencing is
popular, as trees or landscaping
can be scaled and walls feel too
imposing. There are a variety of
available fence materials and
even anti-climb designs
ideal for preventing
school break-ins.
Customisable high
security fencing
designs are also
available to schools
concerned about
appearance.
Securingyourschool
perimeter against vandals

2. Term 4, 2019 | school-news.com.au 51HEALTH & SAFETY
Access control systems
offer a high level of security
and can integrate well
with secure fencing.
Security systems combine
electric locks with CCTV control,
alarms and boundary fences,
plus additional functions like
automated door locking, pin
code access, keycards and fobs.
Before you install a new system,
check out what works for other
schools and plan on-site visits.
It’s a good idea to plan an alarm
response strategy that alerts
a designated security guard
about a possible break-in. If a
staff member is scheduled to
respond they could be put at-
risk, or may not respond quickly
enough to head-off vandals.
Industry take:
Eclipse Security expert, Greg
Flood explained how access
control systems help schools.
“They dispense with the need
for conventional keys and
instead use the latest RFID
contactless key cards. These
can be programmed to allow
or restrict access to different
parts of the school. Access
can be restricted to different
times of the day or even days of
the year, i.e. no access during
school holidays. Teachers, for
example, have cards that double
as photo ID cards allowing them
to pass freely about the school,
whereas others such as visitors
or cleaners for example may have
access only to certain parts of
the school and at certain times.
“The latest addition to access
control systems is the advent of
mobile keys using smart phones
to access areas. Mobile keys can
be sent and revoked without
the end-user having to pick up
a card from site, they simply
open the app on the phone and
present it to the door for access.”
Greg offered some tips for
schools looking to install CCTV:
“Identify key areas of activity and
risk. Focus on the functionality
and limitations of CCTV systems,
privacy regulations, signage,
and the impact on schools’
existing network infrastructure.”
API Access and Security expert,
Nick Flinos advised us on
reducing risk on school grounds.
“Within a school environment,
CCTV supports security audit
trails and allows schools to
review incidents. It comes
down to reducing risk and
increasing safety awareness.
From an installation perspective,
CCTV needs to be easy to use
and access the footage.
Schools using access control
systems can manage their
entire building or campus from
one location by receiving alerts
when certain doors are opened.
You can view and respond to
door alarms, lock down facilities
and classrooms in the event
of a security threat, and get
alerts if a door is left open.”
He added: “Not only can you
limit access to a building but
to rooms within the building
too, including storage closets,
server rooms, staff rooms and
classrooms. Control who needs
to go where and at what time.
From letting visitors through
your access points to allowing
students to access sports
rooms at selected times. Switch
from having multiple keys or
security guards to controlled
swipe cards that one person can
monitor for your entire school.
Finally, “If a key gets lost, you
will have peace of mind that
your premises will not require
a complete new key system
installed because access
control technology allows you
to remove that card from the
program as no additional cost.”
Are Your
Students Safe
At School?
CCTV & Access Control
Systems ensure your
students safety
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