PUTRAJAYA – Schools need specific procedures and regular training to deal with potential threats or armed attacks following several recent incidents of violence involving students and teachers.
Criminologist Datuk Shahul Hamid Abd Rahim said such procedures should not be viewed as preparations based on an assumption that armed attacks would definitely occur, but as part of the school’s overall safety and emergency management plan.
He said schools had traditionally placed greater emphasis on issues such as bullying, fights and student misconduct, but should also have response plans for high-risk incidents involving weapons.
“Schools need to have specific procedures, but they need to be viewed from various angles as part of the safety and emergency management plan.
“Not because we assume an armed attack will happen, but because such incidents can happen in schools,” he said.
Shahul said the procedures needed to clearly outline who should be contacted, how to seek protection, how students should be controlled and the communication system to be used during an emergency.
He said the procedures should also be simple and easy for school communities to understand, while regular training should be conducted instead of merely keeping them as documentation.
“Documentation alone is not enough, but there needs to be regular training, such as fire drills, to remind them what happens during an emergency and what action they need to take,” he said.
Meanwhile, Shahul stressed that the first three to five minutes of an emergency were crucial as they could determine how effectively an incident could be contained and the number of people placed at risk.
He said teachers and students needed to understand basic principles, including identifying threats, seeking protection, moving away from danger and informing the authorities when the situation allowed.
Shahul also stressed the importance of teachers in maintaining control to prevent panic or uncontrolled movement among students.
He said clear communication was also crucial as incorrect or conflicting information during an emergency could lead to a more dangerous situation.
“Emergency simulation drills that are appropriate to the students’ age are important, but remember, training needs to be conducted professionally and must not cause trauma to students,” he said.
He added that schools should also have an emergency communication system that could function in the event of disruptions or unusual circumstances.
On factors that could cause conflicts between students to escalate into aggressive behaviour involving weapons, he said escalation usually occurred when minor conflicts interacted with individual, social and environmental factors that increased the risk of aggressive behaviour.
Shahul said factors that could contribute to such situations included poor emotional control, a desire for revenge, provocation, prolonged conflicts and perceptions of defending one’s dignity and status.
“For example, it may initially involve a minor argument, but over time, if it is not controlled, it will lead to aggressive behaviour,” he added.
He also viewed the influence of social media and gaming content as factors that could play a role when initially minor conflicts were amplified in digital spaces or within certain groups.
At the same time, he said access to weapons was also an important factor as an ordinary argument could potentially become more serious.
“The conflict may begin with an ordinary argument, but when they have access to weapons, there is a possibility that the conflict could turn into a more serious incident,” he said.
Therefore, Shahul said prevention efforts should not wait until an incident occurred, but instead identify early signs of escalation.
Among the warning signs that could be monitored were repeated threats, a desire for revenge, behavioural changes and increasingly serious conflicts.
However, he cautioned schools against labelling every student who was angry, troublesome or had disciplinary problems as a dangerous individual.
“Assessment must be based on the context and actual level of risk, not assumptions,” he added.
Shahul said schools needed to remain safe and conducive environments, but at the same time should not be overly confident that all risks could be prevented.