Should Schools and Colleges install Metal Detecting Knife Arches to protect students and pupils?

The purpose of this article is to discuss the pros and cons of metal-detecting knife arches in schools and colleges in order to provide a balanced assessment of how they work and their effectiveness.

Some of the real benefits of having metal-detecting knife arches on academic campuses –

Deterrent – According to experts, just the presence of metal detectors is often enough to prevent someone from entering or even thinking of entering school with a weapon. The vast majority of personnel entering a Campus would be deterred by the known presence of the technology and added signage in the lobby or entrance to the premises.

Weapon discovery and confiscation – This may be the most obvious. The actual ability to find and confiscate weapons from people entering the building or campus. Without a doubt, the prevention of weapons finding their way into a school creates a safer campus. 

Safety Perceptions of a Campus – The presence of metal-detecting knife arches provides the community, parents, and staff with a sense of security when they know everyone in the school has been screened.  Providing a safe environment allows teachers and students to focus on what matters most i.e. learning. Beyond weapons screening, the presence of metal detectors shows the community that the Campus is taking safety seriously and investing accordingly.

Cost – This is normally seen as a huge barrier to entry. Recent advances in technology however have made the cost of purchasing, deploying and maintaining this technology very affordable. Ultimately something that the technology skills inside an average IT department should easily be able to cope with. We at LTS UK have some stunning deals on metal arch purchases, as well as a plethora of self-training and support materials to enable a Campus to easily maintain devices installed on-site.

Prices start from just over £1100-00 for a good quality multi-zoned knife arch detector.

Limiting factors (are they though)?

Limited Utility – Metal detectors are only effective if properly implemented and monitored.  Even the most well-run metal detector system isn’t 100% foolproof. Basically, they’re only as good as the person running them. So having a process for the operation and screening is vital when considering their installation. Once done though, this perceived limiting factor actually becomes a win for the system operation. 

Disruptive – Having students pass through metal detectors as they arrive in the morning can be disruptive. It may take time. Time needs to be taken to understand traffic flow through the system. As shown with the masses passing through airports an efficient process once again turns this into a benefit. The deterrent factor alone usually allows the queues to speed up. The use of separate metal detecting wands also provides a non-intrusive way of adding speed to the search of personnel as they pass through the metal arch.

In conclusion given the publicity surrounding the high profile incidents of use of weapons in learning establishments. If the assessment of risk says there is a high degree of probability of weapons entering a classroom then the use of a well-run metal-detecting knife arch will almost certainly keep the Campus safe in the deterrent factor alone.

Contact us at LTS UK for fantastic deals on multi-zone knife arches and key learning establishment discount schemes.