KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Security Industry Association (PIKM) has called for regular school safety audits and risk assessments following the death of a 16-year-old girl at a school in Yong Peng, Johor.
PIKM president Datuk Mohammad Ubaidillah Enam @ Iman said the association took the incident seriously and understood public concerns over student safety.
"Any assessment of the duties performed by the parties involved should be based on facts, the chronology of events and the findings of investigations by the authorities," he said in a statement Monday (Oct 12).
He stressed the importance of full cooperation among all parties to ensure an objective assessment and follow-up action based on verified findings.
"School safety requires effective coordination between school management, teachers, school staff and security service providers.
"Security guards play an important role in access control, patrols, risk detection and incident reporting in accordance with their assigned duties," he added.
He said the scope of duties, standing instructions and deployment of security guards must be clearly defined and suited to the risks faced by individual schools.
"Security companies are also responsible for ensuring guards understood their assignments, received appropriate training and were properly supervised.
"Coordination with school authorities is equally important to ensure security reports were followed up with appropriate action," he said.
He proposed strengthening the Education Ministry's Safe School Management Guidelines through regular risk assessments and security audits.
"These assessments should cover access control, the adequacy and deployment of security guards, patrol coverage and records, training and supervision, closed-circuit television (CCTV) coverage, fencing, lighting and the school environment.
"They should also examine the effectiveness of communication channels and emergency response procedures," he said.
Any improvements or expansion of security duties must be accompanied by appropriate training, manpower, equipment and funding to ensure effective implementation, he said.
He said the association is also ready to work with the Education Ministry, Home Ministry, police and other relevant parties by sharing industry expertise and proposing improvements to procedures within their respective areas of responsibility.
