Israeli school security guards, who so far have focused on preventing external threats like terrorism, will begin to receive specialized training on how to deal with pupil violence, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday.
In addition, closed-circuit television cameras linked up to control rooms will monitor school playgrounds, as part of a series of measures being taken by police to tackle school violence, said the report, reported Xinhua.
The steps were announced Tuesday by Meir Ben-Yishai, head of the Israel Police's Security Department, during a meeting with security officers responsible for educational institutions from across the country.
"These steps stem from a need that has been identified in recent years," police spokeswoman Orit Friedman was quoted as saying, "the guards will be trained to deal with confrontations and to intervene in fights between pupils."
"Until today, the role of the guards was limited to dealing with terrorism and external threats. But they should be able to provide solutions to incidents on school grounds as well," said Friedman.
The spokeswoman denied there was a recent rise in school violence. However, she noted that injuries resulting from fights and stabs were a reality in Israeli schools.
"Having trained guards on site will cut out the need to wait for police to arrive," she explained.
As part of the reforms, closed-circuit television cameras installed in school playgrounds will feed live images to municipal control rooms.
Pupils will be monitored at all times in playgrounds and other areas of the school, where the presence of teachers could be lacking, said Friedman.
The type of training school security guards receive from their companies is dictated and monitored by the Israel Police. According to the new guidelines, courses for new guards will be extended from four to six days.
In the coming months, veteran guards will be asked to attend courses to upgrade their training to meet the new requirements, while new employees will have to complete the six-day training before being eligible to begin work.