Police heighten patrols at schools following attacks in Staško and Poland
Following tragic attacks at schools in Staško and Poland, Slovak police will deploy additional uniformed and plainclothes patrols on Friday. The force will also test its own preparedness for crisis situations.
Uniformed and plainclothes officers guarding schools after tragedies
Following attacks at schools in Kysuca region's Staško and neighbouring Poland, Slovak police are increasing the presence of patrols at school facilities, according to pravda.sk. On Friday 9 October, uniformed and non-uniformed police officers will appear in heightened numbers around schools, with their task being to monitor the safety of pupils, teaching and non-teaching staff, and parents.
The Police Force will simultaneously use Friday's deployment to conduct a practical test of its own preparedness. "The priority of the Police Force is the protection of life and health," police stated in their statement. It wants to determine how quickly and effectively it can respond to potential security threats and whether the procedures in place are functional under real conditions.
Attack in Staško claimed two lives
The immediate trigger for the measures was the tragedy of 29 September at a primary school in Staško in Čadca district. A thirteen-year-old eighth-form pupil attacked a classmate and two teachers with a knife. A sixty-one-year-old teacher died at the scene. The seriously injured pupil succumbed to her injuries despite doctors' efforts on 1 October. Another teacher ended up in hospital.
The tragedy also raised questions about a possible failure of security procedures. Five days before the attack, police had received a criminal report from the school. The circumstances of this report and the subsequent action taken by officers began to be investigated by the Inspection Service Office, which subsequently initiated criminal proceedings for suspicion of abuse of authority by a public official. The investigation is to clarify whether officers properly assessed the information about the previous incident and whether they acted in accordance with their duties.
The case of the attack itself was taken over by the Organised Crime Fighting Office of the Police Force Headquarters.
Poland witnessed two attacks in two days
Concerns about school safety were heightened by events beyond the northern border. Poland experienced two serious incidents in a school setting within two days.
On Wednesday 7 October, a nineteen-year-old student attacked others with a sharp object at a vocational school in the town of Ostrołęka. Nine people were injured, including pupils, teachers and other persons. The suspect himself was also injured and was detained by police following the attack. The situation was serious enough that some pupils locked themselves in classrooms to escape the attacker. Local authorities subsequently temporarily closed schools in the town.
Source: Google News SK — Crime (sk)