More than 75% of college campuses employ armed officers. This should hardly come as a surprise since colleges provide lots of opportunity for thieves and worse. In large hubs like colleges, crime is inevitable, but there’s a lot you can do to keep your campus and students safe.
Read on to learn some of the best ways to strengthen your campus and safety security programs.
Encourage Communication
Communicating your safety policies and encouraging communication from those on campus is one of the most basic but often left out parts of college security programs. Most students know what counts as a crime but may not know where to turn to report an incident or if they’ll be believed.
You also want to spread the message “If you see something, say something.” You never know who might catch a glimpse or word of danger. Be accepting of reports on everything from bullying to sexual misconduct.
Once something is reported, be sure to act so students trust you to do something with the information they provide. Even if there’s the smallest hint of danger like a bomb threat, trained canines from this company will ease concerns.
Be sure to include staff and visitors in this policy as well – not just students.
Educate Students
When it comes to college campus safety, threats don’t always come from external parties. When students throw parties, there’s always the danger of overdose or injury from drinking too much to doing drugs. There’s also the issue of students robbing or harming other students.
This creates a dangerous environment and reflects poorly on the school.
Mitigate this as much a possible by creating educational programs that are mandatory for new students to complete. These should educate students on the dangers and punishments associated with such behaviors.
Create a Security Task Force
One of the best campus safety and security measures you can take is to implement a campus security task force. This task force can be made up of students, staff, and parents to give a well-rounded perspective on safety threats.
Have this group meet regularly, analyze crime incidents each year, evaluate overall safety, brainstorm solutions, and create plans to implement them.
Obtain Security Equipment
College campus safety issues can arise at any time, but making sure students that are on campus at night are safe in the dark is important.
A great option is to install emergency blue lightboxes for students who live on campus or are out studying late. Blue light boxes are spaced out emergency stations with a button on them that calls security personal immediately to the scene when pushed. Knowing that these are around will also discourage crime in the area.
Implement Video Surveillance
Another way to discourage crime while simultaneously improving school campus security is to install video surveillance cameras. When criminals know they’re being watched, they’re less likely to break the law or behave inappropriately. The bonus to cameras is that they also help you catch criminals to prevent further crime.
Make sure to check that all of your cameras are working regularly.
Invest in Campus Safety and Security
Investing in campus safety and security is important to keep your students safe. Safer schools are better for everyone involved, and will also increase your number of applicants and ranking. Just follow the tips in this article.
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