Education security and the safety of students and staff has always featured high on the list of priorities for the chancellor or principal of any British university or college.
Sadly, random acts of wanton violence and sometimes retribution and an ever more stringent legal responsibility mean safeguarding has become of paramount importance.
The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act of 2006 made it law to protect children and other vulnerable adults from harm or risk of harm by preventing individuals deemed unsuitable from gaining access to them through their work. In short, you must keep ‘bad people’ out and children, young people and staff safe.
The University of Glasgow, in its Physical Security Policy last amended earlier this year, says it will ‘endeavour to ensure, as far as is reasonably practical, the personal safety and security of all students, staff, visitors and contributors at all University campuses and University controlled buildings’.
A briefing note from Gloucestershire Constabulary says: ‘To teach and learn, staff and pupils must feel safe and secure. Criminal and anti-social behaviour can disrupt the work of the school, physical and mental damage to people and damage to buildings. Worse, fear is created amongst pupils, staff and parents, which is out of all proportion to the actual crimes committed.’
It says efficient physical security can be designed at the beginning. And its first recommendation is to provide a substantial secure boundary and limit access points for vehicles and pedestrians, which has now become a part of Ofsted inspections.
The skill of making sites secure without seeming fortified, thus contributing to the fear and intimidation within while sticking to ever-tighter public sector budgets, requires a delicate balance. This is where Zaun can help.
We believe we have cracked the secure and sightly fencing code that does the job to a budget. We consider aesthetics, security, the environment, access needs, site footprint and budget before devising our bespoke solutions.
Our range of perimeter fences spans from ornate fences and gates to high security rated mesh fencing, all of which can be integrated with access control, perimeter detection, locks and CCTV monitoring systems, enabling them to play a part in cost savings and demonstrate a return on investment.
By linking access control with a building’s energy management system, establishments can reduce energy costs, address environmental concerns and improve energy efficiency and education security.
