Metal detectors for schools

Osem · 20-01-2008, 09:06

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7198633.stm

Is this going to be just another one of those ill conceived and costly measures (e.g hospital deep cleansing) implemented by this woeful government of ours?

How's it going to work in practical terms? Is everyone who enters the affected schools really going to be scanned each time they do so? If so, surely that's a recipe for some very long delays getting in every morning. At my eldest's school the children have to pass from one school building to another in between lessons. Unless they're scanned each time they do so, what's to stop anyone who's so inclined to hide a knife in the grounds and take it in later or simply pass one to a friend through an open window? Who's going to be manning the scanners and tasked with the unenviable job of sorting out whether the kid in front of them is really tooled up or has a pocketful of keys or change?

How many people are stabbed in/just outside schools anyway? I can't recall many examples to be honest as compared to all those which have happened on public transport, in parks, outisde pubs/clubs/off licences or just in the streets. Maybe what we really need is a concerted effort to change the appalling youth culture which seems to have developed in recent times.

I can't help feeling that if the Government was as good at thinking things through as they are at chucking away taxpayers money we'd all be a lot better off.

TheNorm · 20-01-2008, 09:22

I'm all for "knife-free" schools, but I would like to know what will happen if they find a blade on a pupil. Will he (and his parents) be fined/jailed?

OK, you can stop laughing now....

NitroNutter · 20-01-2008, 21:19

And then theres the exepmtions for certain ethnic groups. If this gets implented it will undoubtedly make that a much wider issue.

WHISTLED · 20-01-2008, 21:29

Quote:

And then theres the exepmtions for certain ethnic groups. If this gets implented it will undoubtedly make that a much wider issue.

What ethnic group doesnt permit metal detectors?

papa smurf · 20-01-2008, 21:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by NitroNutter

And then theres the exepmtions for certain ethnic groups. If this gets implented it will undoubtedly make that a much wider issue.

what ethnic groups would be exempt and for what reason ....... oops sorry whistled beat me to it

Stuart · 20-01-2008, 21:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osem

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7198633.stm

Is this going to be just another one of those ill conceived and costly measures (e.g hospital deep cleansing) implemented by this woeful government of ours?

Hospital deep cleaning isn't new. It's actually a necessary part of hospital maintenance (every time a ward is refurbished, for instance, it needs to be deep cleaned before it can be opened again.

Problems occur when people try to do it on the cheap (even if the trusts don't, the contractors do).

Quote:

How's it going to work in practical terms? Is everyone who enters the affected schools really going to be scanned each time they do so? If so, surely that's a recipe for some very long delays getting in every morning. At my eldest's school the children have to pass from one school building to another in between lessons. Unless they're scanned each time they do so, what's to stop anyone who's so inclined to hide a knife in the grounds and take it in later or simply pass one to a friend through an open window? Who's going to be manning the scanners and tasked with the unenviable job of sorting out whether the kid in front of them is really tooled up or has a pocketful of keys or change?

How many people are stabbed in/just outside schools anyway? I can't recall many examples to be honest as compared to all those which have happened on public transport, in parks, outisde pubs/clubs/off licences or just in the streets. Maybe what we really need is a concerted effort to change the appalling youth culture which seems to have developed in recent times.

I can't help feeling that if the Government was as good at thinking things through as they are at chucking away taxpayers money we'd all be a lot better off.

Like a lot of things our government does, the sole idea behind it appears to be to enable the government to appear to be doing something about a problem.

Like their silly reaction a couple of years ago to the terrorist bombings. The government planned to introduce aircraft style passenger (and, IIRC, baggage) screening to the London Underground. An idea that, thankfully, appears to have been forgotton about on the basis that the underground carries many more people each day than all the airports combined, and the resulting delays would paralyse London.

TheNorm · 20-01-2008, 21:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuart C

... and the resulting delays would paralyse London.

Which is of course exactly what the terrorists want. Talk about an own goal!

NitroNutter · 20-01-2008, 22:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by papa smurf

what ethnic groups would be exempt and for what reason ....... oops sorry whistled beat me to it

Well what would be the point in scanning those permitted to carry knives ?

papa smurf · 20-01-2008, 22:12

just had a thought a ceramic gun can foil metal detectors ,so presumably so can a ceramic knife[found in many kitchens]...... forget the gun google says its a myth

WHISTLED · 20-01-2008, 22:30

Quote:

Well what would be the point in scanning those permitted to carry knives ?

Sikhs you mean?

Well they would have to remove while passing through the detectr and have it straight back as they would any other metal item.

Quote:

just had a thought a ceramic gun can foil metal detectors ,so presumably so can a ceramic knife[found in many kitchens]...... forget the gun google says its a myth

The ceramic gun isnt exactly a myth, it was a press over reaction to the Glock 9mm in the early 90's. Despite being mainly composite they a metal barrel and firing mechanism,

Ceramic knives , yep nowt you can do about those.

BBKing · 21-01-2008, 19:01

The more practical objection is what if little Johnny puts a knife in the bag of the class know-all?

[the key objections are that it's the job of the police to stop people carrying dangerous weapons and of schools to educate people, plus it doesn't do anything to stop people getting stabbed just outside the school gates, which is the usual location for such outrages]

**Maggy** · 21-01-2008, 19:59

Who is going to be doing all this scanning?This teacher won't for a start.I'm there to teach not carry out stupid knee jerk actions on behalf of the government.They want the students searched then they can pay someone else or pay me a much increased wage to add these new responsibilities.

WHISTLED · 21-01-2008, 20:05

The plan is for the police to do the searches currently I believe, mobile detector arches. Personally if i was a teacher i would be happy to do so, especially in a more deprived area such as some of the schools in north Manchester.

Not sure how its knee jerk? I and a good percentage of lads when I was at school had a knife at some point or another. I went to a nice school in very nice area of South Manchester.

A boy has been stabbed outside a college today according to the news

**Maggy** · 21-01-2008, 20:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by WHISTLED

The plan is for the police to do the searches currently I believe, mobile detector arches. Personally if i was a teacher i would be happy to do so, especially in a more deprived area such as some of the schools in north Manchester.

Not sure how its knee jerk? I and a good percentage of lads when I was at school had a knife at some point or another. I went to a nice school in very nice area of South Manchester.

A boy has been stabbed outside a college today according to the news

Knives have always been a problem going all the way back to the 50's and 60's.This won't stop the problem at all because very few stabbings take place INSIDE schools.They mostly happen outside of school grounds and outside of school hours.It is a STREET problem and unless you can put a scanner at every street corner.....