How Physical Security Gates Keep Schools Safe During After Hours Events
School safety is critical. Not only must children obviously be kept safe, but there are valuable assets inside most schools that criminals want to steal, including computers and other electronics, sensitive information, and other learning materials and assets. Keep these items safe from criminals by using physical security gates for access control.
In many public and private schools, there are extracurricular activities taking place after hours, public assemblies and concerts happening in the evening, tours and meetings occurring at all times of day, and many more events and gatherings. During these events, members of the general public will likely be visiting the school, so it’s critical to keep school assets safe by using access control tactics.
During events, you’ll want to keep the auditorium, gymnasium, or offices available, but restrict access to classrooms and other areas that contain sensitive or expensive assets. An excellent way to do this is by using security gates.
How Security Gates Protect Schools
Whenever a school has an event, parents and other guests need to be able to move from the building entrance to the auditorium or whatever area of the school is hosting the event. This doesn’t mean that you want them to give them complete access. You don’t want people to be able to move all throughout the building. By installing security gates in school hallways and in doorways, you can easily restrict access to these locations while allowing free movement throughout the rest of the building.
The Many Benefits of Security Gates
Security gates are effective because they place a strong physical barrier between criminals and your assets. Gates are incredibly difficult to tamper with or break through. Once they’re locked in place, there’s nothing more for you to do. Staff members who need to access restricted areas can be given keys so they can easily move throughout the building, while anyone else will be unable to get inside. Gates can easily be keyed alike, so staff do not have to deal with many different keys to be able to move through the school.
Security gates are more effective at protecting schools than many other types of security because they physically stop criminals. Alarm systems and surveillance cameras can alert you of a crime in progress, or help you gather evidence once a crime has taken place, but they don’t actually stop criminals. Someone must respond to the alarm or intruder visible on camera to prevent the crime. Security gates prevent crime on their own.
Using physical security is also more cost-effective than having security guards positioned in hallways and other off-limits areas as, once gates are installed, they require very little maintenance or other costs. On the other hand, security guards must be paid hourly.
Not only do gates serve as a physical barrier, but they are a visible barrier as well. Criminals can easily see that gates are installed and locked in place, and they know how effective these gates are. For this reason, they often avoid properties that have them installed. This includes schools. If someone walks by a hallway that is protected by security gates, they immediately recognize that this area is off limits.
Security gates can also be used to secure doors, preventing access to the building. This can be useful for protecting the school overnight, but it can also be beneficial during events. Security gates make it easily to control a large group of people. By using gates on doors and hallways, you direct the flow of people where you want it, making it significantly easier to keep a school safe.
