Most schools have or are about to finish for the summer. Whilst we have no doubt you'll be excited about 6 weeks of freedom, the summer break leaves your school, college or university vulnerable. Publishing the last day of term online is something all students and parents expect, after all, it's your duty to let everyone know term times. But, what you're also inadvertently doing is advertising to criminals that the building, or buildings, will be empty for a prolonged period of time. This makes it an easy target.

The last thing you want is to be interrupted during the summer months by the police reporting an incident to you -- or worse still, arriving back on the first day to discover a break-in. Schools are full of valuable technology, making them a prime target, but more worryingly, the technology you have at school no doubt holds sensitive information about students, including their names, address, contact numbers and medical information. This makes a robbery at school not only an expensive problem but a huge data security issue too. As with most things, prevention is better than a cure! This means being proactive with the security measures you choose to implement, and there are a number of things you can do to reduce the risk of crime during the summer holidays.

Invest in a quality security provider

This is the most effective way of maintaining security at your school, college or university. Having trained security officers as part of a manned guarding or mobile patrol service is the best way to deter criminals and demonstrate that you're taking security seriously.

Keep the outdoor space well-lit and clutter-free

We know that at the end of the term you'll be tired, with a mountain of paperwork and maybe an abundance of equipment to find storage for. What's important is getting organised before closing the school gates. Bins that haven't been locked away, for example, can be pushed up against the side of a building to provide easy access to top floors for burglars. The same can be true for sports equipment that hasn't been properly stored away.

You will also want to ensure that any outdoor lights are working properly, whether they're sensor activated or on a timer. Lighting up any dark corners is a great way to deter trespassers, especially if this is accompanied by CCTV.

Hold regular extracurricular events

Instead of closing the doors for 6 weeks, why not host a sports club, or allow other organisations to utilise the school space during the summer months. Having regular, ongoing activity stops the building from feeling neglected over those long summer days, and this will deter opportunist criminals who might see your empty school building as a prime target.

For more information on how we can work with you to provide a quality security service at your school, college or university, please don't hesitate to get in touch a member of our team. We'd love to talk you through which service would work best for your business.

Alternatively, if you're looking to further your career within the security industry, please check the careers section on our website or email us an up to date copy of your C.V. We never subcontract our staff, we invest in their training and we work hard to support our staff. We look forward to meeting you.

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