February shooting in the Moscow school №263 brought to the fore the issue of security of the capital’s educational institutions. On March 26th the Moscow Public Chamber was concerned with that issue, and hearings held by it, have confirmed: in the city there is no agreed position of the authorities on this issue.
As explained by Prosecutor of the Department on supervision of execution of laws on minors Ekaterina Malevsky, “after the events in the school №263 in Moscow there was an unscheduled inspection of about 500 schools. Including verification of fire and anti-terrorist security, as well as a work of private security organizations. Some drawbacks were revealed. For example, there are schools, where panic alarm buttons are installed not for guards, but in the Director’s office. Not all guards were able to explain how to act in emergency situations. Fire exits in some schools are cluttered”.
Thus, funds allocated for safety of Moscow educational institutions, “are enough for today (for the years of 2015-18 this sum is 18 billion rubles). Not additional funds are required, but strengthening the effectiveness of a work” – emphasized Deputy head of the Directorate for operation, movement and asset accounting of the Moscow Department of Education Anatoly Romashko.
So, it is impractical, for example, in his opinion, to increase the quantity of private security guards in schools from the current index of “one guard – one building” to two-three persons for each school or kindergarten: “If in every educational institution there will be two-three guard-men, it is clear to everyone, what the outcome will be”, - he predicted.
Basically, according to the Department, there is no need to invest in increasing of forces of private security companies, but in security technologies. For example, in installed nowadays information systems of the electronic access to schools, not to mention basic installation of lanterns in the streets, where schoolyards go. At the same time, the city budget, he stressed, is ready to undertake the only state schools and kindergartens: ensuring security for the privates, as now, will be done by parents.
Meanwhile, unity positions on several issues of the authorities, responsible for different aspects of security, were not achieved.