SwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

Expert on School Attacks: There is No Miracle Solution

After the fatal shootings in Örebro, the question is how security can be increased in schools – and whether unauthorized individuals should be kept out. There is no vaccine against school attacks. A motivated perpetrator will always get in, says security expert Lena Ljungdahl.

» Published: February 06 2025

Expert on School Attacks: There is No Miracle Solution
Photo: Christine Olsson/TT

Lena Ljungdahl is a former police officer, but has worked for nearly ten years as an advisor on security issues, including at the Center Against Violent Extremism (CVE). She has had assignments in 50 municipalities and visited over 500 schools.

Her image is that security work looks enormously different at different schools.

There are municipalities and schools that have come a long way, they are as prepared as you can be, but there are also schools that haven't done anything. They still live in the it-will-never-happen-here feeling, she says.

In contrast to many workplaces, it is often just a matter of walking straight into a school. Lena Ljungdahl thinks that you can very well limit access for unauthorized persons. It often sharpens attention to who is moving around in the school. But you must never believe that it provides full protection, the perpetrator can be a student or employee.

I can't see that there is a miracle solution, otherwise I would have sold it in a can to all schools, says Lena Ljungdahl.

Minimize Consequences

She educates in PDV – ongoing deadly violence – at schools. She emphasizes the importance of creating routines, systematizing, and also involving students in the preparations. If you have practiced, the chance of doing the right thing if something happens increases.

In Örebro, many seem to have done the right things. Those who could fled, others locked themselves in and barricaded themselves in classrooms. Yet, at least eleven people died.

It's not possible to fully protect yourself, education and routines aim to minimize the consequences as much as possible, says Lena Ljungdahl.

In her work, she has also seen measures that she thinks are "absolutely wrong" and mostly provide false security. Such as investing in expensive, new security doors or apps that still can't provide the right information when the acute situation develops every second.

I'm afraid that decisions will now be made in affect, that people will try to take shortcuts or buy simple solutions to difficult problems, she says.

Wants National Requirements

Another example is that action plans are indeed drawn up, but they are static or less thought through, such as everyone being told to lock themselves in the cafeteria – without thinking about the fact that it may be exactly where the perpetrator will be.

Lena Ljungdahl is therefore calling for national regulations, a minimum level of requirements for what should be in place at each school, anchored in evidence of what works. Moreover, there must be clearly stated in the guidelines who has the responsibility.

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Persson Warns of US Turning Away from Europe and Its Implications

Persson Warns of US Turning Away from Europe and Its Implications

Iguanas Floated 8,000 Kilometers to Fiji on Natural Rafts

Iguanas Floated 8,000 Kilometers to Fiji on Natural Rafts

Swedish Police Urge Action on Mental Health Care Crisis

Swedish Police Urge Action on Mental Health Care Crisis

Mild Winter Spurs Surge in Tick Reports Across Sweden

Mild Winter Spurs Surge in Tick Reports Across Sweden

Elderly Woman Seriously Injured in Helsingborg Assault; Suspect Arrested

Elderly Woman Seriously Injured in Helsingborg Assault; Suspect Arrested

Young Man Detained After Suspected Bomb Found in Södertälje Villa

Young Man Detained After Suspected Bomb Found in Södertälje Villa

Five Injured in Hällefors Car Crash on Highway 63

Five Injured in Hällefors Car Crash on Highway 63

Teachers in Adult Education Feel Pressured to Inflate Grades

Teachers in Adult Education Feel Pressured to Inflate Grades

Goldfish Threaten Native Fish in Swedish Waters

Goldfish Threaten Native Fish in Swedish Waters

Oxygen Fluctuations May Have Spurred Evolutionary Leap 540 Million Years Ago

Oxygen Fluctuations May Have Spurred Evolutionary Leap 540 Million Years Ago

Sunny Sunday Ahead for Sweden with Mild Temperatures and Wind Warnings

Sunny Sunday Ahead for Sweden with Mild Temperatures and Wind Warnings

Three-Year-Old in Sweden Recovering After Balcony Fall

Three-Year-Old in Sweden Recovering After Balcony Fall

Influenza Cases Decline in Sweden as Peak Season Passes

Influenza Cases Decline in Sweden as Peak Season Passes

Earth Hour Unites 98 Countries in Global Climate Action

Earth Hour Unites 98 Countries in Global Climate Action

Liberals Push for Ban on Foreign Ownership of Swedish Private Schools

Liberals Push for Ban on Foreign Ownership of Swedish Private Schools

NSAIDs Show Effectiveness for Acute Back Pain, Study Finds

NSAIDs Show Effectiveness for Acute Back Pain, Study Finds

Västerås Ends Contract with Attendo Amid Fraud Investigation

Västerås Ends Contract with Attendo Amid Fraud Investigation

Explosion Rocks Residential Area in Norrköping, No Injuries Reported

Explosion Rocks Residential Area in Norrköping, No Injuries Reported

Suspected Object Closes E22 Near Malmö; Bomb Squad Investigates

Suspected Object Closes E22 Near Malmö; Bomb Squad Investigates

Man Sentenced for Assaulting Teen at Swedish Swimming Center

Man Sentenced for Assaulting Teen at Swedish Swimming Center

60 Telephone Poles Mysteriously Disappear in Sweden

60 Telephone Poles Mysteriously Disappear in Sweden

Child Seriously Injured After Falling from Fourth-Floor Balcony in Mölndal

Child Seriously Injured After Falling from Fourth-Floor Balcony in Mölndal

Sweden Democrats Reject EU Proposal on Gaza Relocation

Sweden Democrats Reject EU Proposal on Gaza Relocation

16-Year-Old Arrested in Connection to Skurup Murder Plot

16-Year-Old Arrested in Connection to Skurup Murder Plot

Ancient Neck Ring Discovery in Sweden Revealed as Modern Prank

Ancient Neck Ring Discovery in Sweden Revealed as Modern Prank

Mother Sentenced to Prison for Leaving Baby Alone to Party

Mother Sentenced to Prison for Leaving Baby Alone to Party

Young Man Fatally Shot in Södertälje; Teen Arrested for Murder

Young Man Fatally Shot in Södertälje; Teen Arrested for Murder

Swedish Court Convicts Man in 2018 Eskilstuna Shooting Cold Case

Swedish Court Convicts Man in 2018 Eskilstuna Shooting Cold Case

Court of Appeal Acquits Man of Murder, Upholds Rape Conviction

Court of Appeal Acquits Man of Murder, Upholds Rape Conviction

Two Charged in Borås Gang-Related Murder Case

Two Charged in Borås Gang-Related Murder Case

Suspected Dangerous Object Prompts Evacuation in Södertälje

Suspected Dangerous Object Prompts Evacuation in Södertälje

Koran Burner Murder Case: All Suspects Cleared, No Arrests Made

Koran Burner Murder Case: All Suspects Cleared, No Arrests Made

Abisko Avalanche Tragedy: Manslaughter Probe Targets Tour Operator

Abisko Avalanche Tragedy: Manslaughter Probe Targets Tour Operator

Woman in Her 30s Charged with Murdering Elderly Relative in Vadstena

Woman in Her 30s Charged with Murdering Elderly Relative in Vadstena

Condom Use Declines Among Nordic Youth, Report Finds

Condom Use Declines Among Nordic Youth, Report Finds

Fatal Fire in Jämtland Cottage: One Dead, Another Injured

Fatal Fire in Jämtland Cottage: One Dead, Another Injured

Heathrow Closure Disrupts Flights for Swedish Travelers

Heathrow Closure Disrupts Flights for Swedish Travelers

Sweden Tightens Citizenship Rules to Enhance Security

Sweden Tightens Citizenship Rules to Enhance Security

Man Sentenced for Smuggling Over 2 Million Cigarettes to Norway

Man Sentenced for Smuggling Over 2 Million Cigarettes to Norway

Swedish Police Face Million-Kronor Fine Over Rain Gear Purchase

Swedish Police Face Million-Kronor Fine Over Rain Gear Purchase