The tragic event in May 2021, in the Russian city of Kazan, where a 19-year-old Ilnaz Galyaviev rushed with a gun into the school and opened fire on people, shocked Russia and the whole world. Nine people were killed and 20 injured.
After the incident, Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science reportedly said that schools are responsible for safety. The ministry advised that contracts with security companies as well as the installation of video surveillance systems in schools and the introduction of electronic access systems for access to the educational institution should be a must.
In the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, 51,000 children attend schools and kindergartens. There are more than a hundred buildings for children and staff. Until recently, they were protected by guards with no specialised training equipped just with a panic button.
Now, in the educational institutions of Mariupol, 167 Ajax security systems have been installed, and the employees can control them via smartphones. 114 schools and kindergartens are protected from intrusion and flooding. And an armed police patrol arrives on the scene in case of an alarm.
The purchase of the systems has become a profitable investment for the city.
These are municipal institutions, and their protection costs the city UAH 38 million annually (US $1.4m/ £1m). Guards could scare off an accidental bully, but to deal with a planned theft would have been a problem. What was needed was a professional system that meets precise security requirements.
Solving the problem has been a challenge for the city administration for five years. Professional security systems looked like a solution. However, a security system back then was seen as a complicated system of wiring difficult and expensive to implement. Price was an important issue: the new system cannot cost more than hiring the security.
The system they needed should not require construction work during installation – and repairs would affect the project’s cost. It should be straightforward to manage in everyday life.
Fast installation
A total of 9,714 detectors and devices were installed in two months with minimum disruption.
Using radio connections meant that no walls needed to be touched for wiring. It took a professional installer 2–3 hours to install about 100 devices at one establishment.
How the system works
Each facility received a Hub 2 Plus central unit. Motion and opening detectors control all doors and windows, protecting against intrusion and burglary. A motion detector with a photo camera sends a series of images to help the user and the monitoring station operator assess the situation: it becomes apparent whether it is a burglary or just an employee who forgot to disarm the system. A loud outdoor siren activates an alarm that can be heard throughout the neighbourhood.
In addition to the intrusion protection, the rooms and basements have flood protection. Flood detectors instantly notify users of a leakage. This helps avoid serious consequences for the premises and unnecessary costs for the city budget.
The school is also in safe hands when it comes to water issues. Using Ajax LeaksProtec if a pipe breaks, the detector immediately reports an accident.
The Headmasters noted that the installation process was super efficient and didn’t affect the normal activities of the school.