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.
