Latin America. Genetec highlighted the importance of implementing safety solutions that help minimize bullying rates. A recent study published by Bullying Without Borders reveals the dramatic growth in the number of cases and complaints. Mexico ranks 1st worldwide, as the audited numbers reveal a total of 270 thousand cases of bullying and cyberbullying, which represents an increase of 50% over last year (180,000).
On the other hand, reports from the Citizen Council for Security and Justice of Mexico City, reveal a growth of cases by 347% during the period January-February 2023, compared to the same period of 2022 at the national level, in which 7 out of 10 children and adolescents suffered some type of harassment every day, becoming a central issue to be addressed.
Genetec assures that it is aware of this problem and recognizes that security on school grounds is a latent concern that requires immediate attention. Increasing the number of security devices and/or systems within schools becomes an immediate necessity. The increase in installed sensors or devices helps prevent and respond effectively to problems such as intrusions, vandalism, petty theft and bullying.
"School safety systems help us maintain certainty that children, staff and buildings are safe; having the guarantee that only those who have to be in them are in the facilities, and that the children have a healthy coexistence. It is also important to carry out safety protocols at school, which adequately fulfill a vision of the 360 strategy, which helps children feel safe in school classrooms, "said José de Jesús Arellano, Vertical Sales Manager for Genetec.
An example of the implementation of security systems for schools is the Government of Nuevo León that, together with representatives of 25 municipalities, share security and video surveillance programs, as preventive measures of physical security of a school.
The administrative staff of each institution can manage the VMS system by themselves, so they do not have to go through bureaucratic procedures and long waits to access the video, which can also be integrated into the video surveillance system of school buses.
An effective practice may be that, in the event that a child disappears and the rest of the classmates deny having spoken to him, you can go directly to the data obtained by the VMS systems and know who he spoke to and what his behaviors were inside the school days before the event.
Other solutions, such as access control, allow us to easily manage the flow of people entering our buildings and limit the doors through which they can enter, which reduces many challenges and the possibility of an intruder in the school.
The use of technology in our favor is not limited to the integration of devices that are not even proper to a security system; The use of them can be part of a protocol that contributes to this exercise of security and protection of students; for example, speakers and IP intercoms around a complex could be a key element in a harassment event through a panic button, or lighting that can be turned on before a security alert, as the deterrent of the harasser.
The biggest threat within the study campuses are human beings: employees and students. If a teacher does not close the door of his classroom and if a student tries to leave through a door to the street, these are things that must always be monitored. To combat it, we must implement safety measures in schools through technology, in addition to promoting safety education through protocols and making sure that staff are prepared.
"We know that the issue of safety within the classrooms is sensitive because it is where children spend much of the day, but with the application of new technologies we can give confidence to students, parents and school staff that the school is a safe place, where students can live together healthily, learn and develop activities that help them build a future without bullying," concluded José de Jesús Arellano, Vertical Sales Manager for Genetec.
