RescueRanger
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With the incidents of Army Public School attack still fresh in our memories, The outrageous attack on Bacha Khan University was designed to install fear, uncertainty and to undermine the national anti terrorism effort in Pakistan. Global events have shown that terrorism and crime both share the same opportunistic nature that they aim to strike at softer, more accessible targets that would cause maximum outrage.
Following the APS tragedy, the military launched an all out offensive against the Taliban and their associates in Pakistan[1]Zarb e azb launched, the civilian government instructed provincial governments to review security of schools and on the 16th of December 2014, the Government of the Punjab, Home department issued notice NO.SO (IS-11) 3-3/09/2014 which instructed schools to review and strengthen their physical security.[2]
International experts were called in to provide their input on how to protect our schools and this included the visit of the United Nations Envoy for Global Education Mr Gordon Brown who presented his security plan developed by the education NGO World at School.[3]
The plan which was unveiled in March 2015 is very well written and structured. It deals with hard security concepts such as physical security of the school and surrounding areas, hiring of armed guards, and softer social elements you would expect from such a document including engaging with the community and local religious groups etc.
However only as far back as July 2015, the Sindh high court issued a strong notice to the Provisional Chief Secretary to identify schools in the province that had not adopted the security protocols required by all educational establishments in the country.[4]
And this is where the such elaborate and well-meaning plans come to a grinding halt, and this can be seen time and time again with international interventions in Pakistan when it comes to development and aid[5]. Where this is little or no buy-in from the local and provincial governments, any proposed action at federal level will only be good table-talk.
Moreover, our establishments fascination with the physical nature of security and a bunker mentality, only compounds this problem further[6]. Schools in Pakistan are a mixture of privately owned and government run and as such the management and service users of each school will be very different[7].
In a country where if you have the cash and the connections you can get everything from armoured luxury vehicles through to air-conditioned safe rooms it should come as no surprise that last year Pakistan imported $1.3 Billion USD worth of safety and security equipment[8].
The insecurity in Pakistan and the lack of public confidence in Law Enforcement has created a cottage industry of private safety and security companies and consultants[9].
Following on from that incident the private sector launched special “discount” packages for schools to deploy everything from guards, CCTV through to a farcical display by a team of Elite police instructors in Karachi teaching university students and teachers how to handle automatic weapons and the finer points of HEAT: Hostile Environment Awareness Training
(something which is normally reserved for aid agency workers and journalists being deployed to war zones).[10]
[Caption: Major (R) Salim (SSP) SSU – Instructs a school student in the use of a firearm – Image (c) DAWN NEWS]
Our schools are not a hostile environment and nor should we as parents or our children resign to treating the hallowed halls of education and learning as “hostile” environments that need to be defended with pillboxes and trenches.
And you could be excused for saying, if the state won’t provide then someone has to fill the vacuum, which is all fine and well. But what happens when the service users cannot afford to hire a security consultant or contracted security guards?
Is there a Middle Ground?
The most effective method to ensure a safer society is to have a combination of strong safety legislation, capacity development and information sharing among all stakeholders and most importantly an informed and vigilant public that is cognizant of the hazards and basic countermeasures.
More than terrorism our country is plagued by the mundane, non eye catching events such as poor health and safety in the work and at home and as per research carried out in 2012, fires resulted in 16,500 deaths and 400 Billion rupees in financial loss.[11]
In comparison to the above as per the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies security report published in the same year, reported 2,050 deaths as a result of terrorism related incidents throughout the country.[12]
It is in everyone’s best interest to safeguard the community through training and mobilisation. Historic events have shown us that vigilant and trained members of the community not only prevented tragedy but they were also instrumental in providing care and preserving life until the professional services arrived on scene.
As parents ultimately the safety of our children is our priority, there are a few simple things we can all do to help out:
1. Next time you visit the school, visually examine if you can see fire extinguishers, any visible exit signs, engage with teachers and staff, ask if they are trained in first aid or know how to respond to emergencies such as as fires?
2. If you live in Punjab, KPK or Islamabad than approach the community training wing of Rescue 1122, they offer free training on subjects such as CPR and fire safety.
3. Sit down with your family and create an emergency plan. A simple plan listing instructions such as Mom/Dad Mobile and office numbers and addresses, out of city contact, emergency meeting point etc… Laminate this and each family member should have a copy in their wallet or person.
4. Promote safety at home, get the children involved, make a game of it by playing a hazard hunt asking children to list things they see in the house that could be dangerous such as unattended matches, too many appliances connected to one extension lead etc…
5. Talk about safety with friends and family.
This article is not a panacea to all the hazards we face, but should serve as food for thought to get you started on your journey to becoming safe and secure, remember security is an eight letter word but break it down and it spells SEC U R IT Y.
References:
Safe schools, it’s up to us. | DPART SAR
Following the APS tragedy, the military launched an all out offensive against the Taliban and their associates in Pakistan[1]Zarb e azb launched, the civilian government instructed provincial governments to review security of schools and on the 16th of December 2014, the Government of the Punjab, Home department issued notice NO.SO (IS-11) 3-3/09/2014 which instructed schools to review and strengthen their physical security.[2]
International experts were called in to provide their input on how to protect our schools and this included the visit of the United Nations Envoy for Global Education Mr Gordon Brown who presented his security plan developed by the education NGO World at School.[3]
The plan which was unveiled in March 2015 is very well written and structured. It deals with hard security concepts such as physical security of the school and surrounding areas, hiring of armed guards, and softer social elements you would expect from such a document including engaging with the community and local religious groups etc.
However only as far back as July 2015, the Sindh high court issued a strong notice to the Provisional Chief Secretary to identify schools in the province that had not adopted the security protocols required by all educational establishments in the country.[4]
And this is where the such elaborate and well-meaning plans come to a grinding halt, and this can be seen time and time again with international interventions in Pakistan when it comes to development and aid[5]. Where this is little or no buy-in from the local and provincial governments, any proposed action at federal level will only be good table-talk.
Moreover, our establishments fascination with the physical nature of security and a bunker mentality, only compounds this problem further[6]. Schools in Pakistan are a mixture of privately owned and government run and as such the management and service users of each school will be very different[7].
In a country where if you have the cash and the connections you can get everything from armoured luxury vehicles through to air-conditioned safe rooms it should come as no surprise that last year Pakistan imported $1.3 Billion USD worth of safety and security equipment[8].
The insecurity in Pakistan and the lack of public confidence in Law Enforcement has created a cottage industry of private safety and security companies and consultants[9].
Following on from that incident the private sector launched special “discount” packages for schools to deploy everything from guards, CCTV through to a farcical display by a team of Elite police instructors in Karachi teaching university students and teachers how to handle automatic weapons and the finer points of HEAT: Hostile Environment Awareness Training
(something which is normally reserved for aid agency workers and journalists being deployed to war zones).[10]
[Caption: Major (R) Salim (SSP) SSU – Instructs a school student in the use of a firearm – Image (c) DAWN NEWS]
Our schools are not a hostile environment and nor should we as parents or our children resign to treating the hallowed halls of education and learning as “hostile” environments that need to be defended with pillboxes and trenches.
And you could be excused for saying, if the state won’t provide then someone has to fill the vacuum, which is all fine and well. But what happens when the service users cannot afford to hire a security consultant or contracted security guards?
Is there a Middle Ground?
The most effective method to ensure a safer society is to have a combination of strong safety legislation, capacity development and information sharing among all stakeholders and most importantly an informed and vigilant public that is cognizant of the hazards and basic countermeasures.
More than terrorism our country is plagued by the mundane, non eye catching events such as poor health and safety in the work and at home and as per research carried out in 2012, fires resulted in 16,500 deaths and 400 Billion rupees in financial loss.[11]
In comparison to the above as per the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies security report published in the same year, reported 2,050 deaths as a result of terrorism related incidents throughout the country.[12]
It is in everyone’s best interest to safeguard the community through training and mobilisation. Historic events have shown us that vigilant and trained members of the community not only prevented tragedy but they were also instrumental in providing care and preserving life until the professional services arrived on scene.
As parents ultimately the safety of our children is our priority, there are a few simple things we can all do to help out:
1. Next time you visit the school, visually examine if you can see fire extinguishers, any visible exit signs, engage with teachers and staff, ask if they are trained in first aid or know how to respond to emergencies such as as fires?
2. If you live in Punjab, KPK or Islamabad than approach the community training wing of Rescue 1122, they offer free training on subjects such as CPR and fire safety.
3. Sit down with your family and create an emergency plan. A simple plan listing instructions such as Mom/Dad Mobile and office numbers and addresses, out of city contact, emergency meeting point etc… Laminate this and each family member should have a copy in their wallet or person.
4. Promote safety at home, get the children involved, make a game of it by playing a hazard hunt asking children to list things they see in the house that could be dangerous such as unattended matches, too many appliances connected to one extension lead etc…
5. Talk about safety with friends and family.
This article is not a panacea to all the hazards we face, but should serve as food for thought to get you started on your journey to becoming safe and secure, remember security is an eight letter word but break it down and it spells SEC U R IT Y.
References:
Safe schools, it’s up to us. | DPART SAR
