In contrast to many workplaces, it is often only necessary to walk straight into a school. An openness that has once again come into focus.
I still see far too many open doors where unauthorized individuals can enter almost at will when I'm out in the country, says Lotta Edholm to Sveriges Radio.
She is prepared to go further than the investigator proposed.
I believe that schools, just like most other workplaces, should actually be locked and that it's the principal who decides who has access, says Edholm.
False sense of security
Last March, investigator Jonas Trolle submitted proposals on how to improve school safety, and just before Christmas, he submitted his final report.
We proposed that all schools should have a routine for receiving visitors, i.e., thinking about how to prevent unauthorized individuals from being in the school, because the school is not a public place, says Jonas Trolle to TT.
However, this does not necessarily mean that the school must be locked, as the investigation believed that it's up to each school to decide how to best control unauthorized individuals.
He also points out that locked doors can give a false sense of security.
The most common school attack is by a student who has access or has attended the school before and knows the routines, and maybe even gets let in. And if you're motivated, you'll get in anyway, says Jonas Trolle, who is the acting head of the Crime Prevention Council (Brå) with a background in the Center against Violent Extremism.
Other proposals in the investigation include that schools should be legally required to work on crime prevention and have a preparedness and action plan for when incidents like the one in Örebro occur.
Cannot protect themselves completely
In Örebro, the municipality had a plan and had conducted exercises. Yet, at least eleven people were killed.
You can practice as much as you want, but if it's a motivated person with an automatic weapon, it's extremely difficult to protect yourself against such an attack. But if they hadn't practiced, it might have looked even worse, says Trolle.
In response to the radio's question about why the investigation has been delayed, Lotta Edholm says that they now want to speed up the implementation.
We're working on it just like we work on everything else, but I also want to say that we're trying to speed it up as much as possible, says Edholm.
The Center against Violent Extremism (CVE) will support municipalities and authorities in preventing school attacks. (Interim report June 2023)
Legally mandated obligation for schools to work on crime prevention. Obligation to have preparedness for serious violent situations.
Obligation to keep unauthorized individuals outside the school area during operating hours.
Opportunity for school staff to, if necessary, inspect students' bags within the school area. Applies to upper secondary school and high school.
Obligation for schools to report students suspected of crimes in connection with school activities to the police. (Interim report March 2024)
Police, social services, and Sis will more easily be able to provide information about children at risk to schools – even against the student's or guardian's will. Schools will also be able to share information with each other and more easily inform social services and Sis. (Final report December 2024)
