Education facilities are meant to be a safe place for learning, but ongoing security concerns can distract from this purpose. Public schools, colleges, universities and private institutes, they are all exposed to vandalism, arson, theft and break-ins.

The reasons for criminals to target educational facilities can vary from making a political statement, an expression of anger, to wanting to cancel school or getting revenge on a staff member or peer.

To prevent crimes from happening on your campus, Sonitrol Western Canada has created a list of nine ways you can improve your security:

1- Install warning signs

It may be a simple solution but posting warning signs can be an effective deterrent for delinquent students and criminals by reducing loitering, which can increase the likelihood of crimes such as vandalism.

2 - Taking care of the property

Installing student art, planting gardens and doing general upkeep shows that you care for your property and what happens on it. Criminals are less likely to deface or break in to properties that don’t look rundown or uncared for, as it gives the impression that your property is regularly traversed and monitored.

3 - Remove existing defacement

Similar to the above point, taking the time to remove current graffiti and repairing broken property can help make sure your property is less attractive to criminals, decreasing the chances of a recurrence.

4 - Secure valuables

Schools are often full of high-quality audio/video equipment, computers, learning aids and instruments which are an attractive target for thieves. Ensuring that all equipment is secure and not stored in classrooms and common areas can lower the risk of theft or damage.

5 - Use graffiti-resistant building materials

Investing in building materials that are resilient to graffiti and scratching, such as anti-graffiti paint or high-density polyethene, can help deter vandalism. If someone does vandalize your school’s property, it can be easily wiped off if it is made from these materials.

6 - Manage landscaping

Trimming back or removing bushes and other landscaping features which can hide criminals is an effective way to make your property less attractive to criminals. In addition, you can also plant thorny plants close to windows to make it more difficult to break into your school.

7 - Use good lighting

Vandals do not want to be caught, and that means they don’t want to be seen at all. As a result, they will target businesses that are dark so that they can stay easily hidden while carrying out their crime. By keeping the area around your school well lit, you will deter vandals from even considering your property.

8 - Limit access

Controlling and monitoring people entering and exiting buildings and sensitive areas is becoming critical to school security. Sonitrol's managed access control system allows educators and administrators to limit access to designated areas and high-value facilities, deterring the theft of equipment and materials.

9 - Install a verified security solution

With a Sonitrol SonaVision verified video solution, we are able to monitor the grounds of your campus (both indoors and outdoors) with highly sensitive motion and heat controls that are able to detect any vandals, thieves or criminals.

The Sonitrol verified educational security solution gives you full CCTV video access so you can supervise any security yourselves and record and watch any criminal activity.

Why Sonitrol?

For more than 50 years, Sonitrol has been providing comprehensive security systems for the educational community, becoming one of the largest providers of security systems to schools in North America.

More than 12,000 schools and colleges have implemented Sonitrol security - including access control and monitored alarms. Schools are unique with respect to their design, layout, access points, fencing, surrounding buildings and streets, and community location. That is why we offer customized solutions.

Don’t put your campus assets, faculty or students at risk.

If you are interested in learning more about our educational security systems and discussing your unique campus’ needs, contact us today or request free an education security audit.