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Creating safer schools across southern Africa

James Dalton is known for his career as a Springbok rugby player from 1994 to 2002, and as a member of the team that won the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Today, he is using his status in South African society to promote safer schools and the right of all children to a secure and safe education without worries about crime, bullying, harassment and other problems that have become commonplace in our society.

Dalton's advocacy for safer schools and children's right to secure education is not just a personal mission, but a large-scale effort two years in the making. As the founder of My Safe Space and a former ambassador for the JAG Bully Proof Foundation, he aims to improve the educational experience for all learners at all schools in South Africa.

The scope of the problem Dalton is tackling (along with many partners that have come on board to support this worthy cause) is evident in the statistics:

• Over 3 million children are bullied at schools in SA each year.

• Less than one-third of them will ask for help.

• Around 160 000 learners bunk school daily across South Africa to avoid bullying.

Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Anyone following the news, even with a cursory glance, will know that kidnappings in South Africa are increasing dramatically – by over 260% in the last decade. South Africa boasts the highest kidnapping rate in Africa, with 51 kidnappings per day, and over 80% of the victims are women and children. Statista reports that in the 2022/2023 year, there were 15 343 kidnappings in South Africa, half of them in Gauteng.

Hence, Dalton’s My Safe Space initiative addresses bullying in schools and helps keep kids and parents safe when dropping off or collecting children.

The companies supporting the My Safe Space initiative include James Dalton Group, Itec SA, Vuma, Regal Security Distributors, Vumacam, and MXTech. The Department of Education, the City of Cape Town, SuperSport Schools, Pegasus Publishing, and VUMATEL Connected Schools also endorse My Safe Space.

My Safe Space

In a nutshell, My Safe Space is a customised security grading system with integrated and connected security technologies that the participants wish to see rolled out across SA. The idea is that every school will receive a security grading and be encouraged and assisted in attaining a minimum level of security, no matter where it is located or the state of its finances. The programme’s results will be increased safety and security, preventing kidnapping and hijackings outside school premises, and reducing bullying to create a safer school environment conducive to educating the next generation.

My Safe Space has developed a grading system for schools to complete to receive their rating, giving them a solid base from which to plan their security rollout. Interested schools can book a free assessment using this link.

While a complete security solution covers a broad spectrum of products and solutions, My Safe Space has developed various options that allow schools to start small and grow their security (each upgrade integrated with what the school already has) until it can reach the highest security rating.

The My Safe Space technology

Vuma has sponsored the project by making a 1 Gbps fibre line available to schools for free. The line will be integrated into Vumacam's monitoring centre, where a database allows the identification of suspicious vehicles, vehicles of interest, cloned cars, and stolen vehicles. This is part of Vumacam’s service to public and private security in South Africa.

MXTECH provides technical support, installations, and SLAs to set up the solution, and Itec Finance provides financing solutions on a rental model with 0% annual escalation. The starter solution is The Guardian Column, which consists of a surveillance camera pole that can be placed at school entrances and exits. The column will include branding for the school and My Safe Space partners, and it can also be sponsored by corporations, for which provision is made under the My Safe Space-NPO.

Hikvision cameras from Regal Security Distributors are placed on the columns, offering LPR analytics and situational awareness connected to Vumacam's monitoring centre via the Vuma fibre for 24-hour monitoring. If a school has an existing security service provider, the system can be integrated into its technology infrastructure. The LPR capabilities and situational awareness monitoring cameras alone will warn of any vehicles on a suspicious vehicles database that happen to be cruising around the school. It will also recognise a car that 'loiters' at the school, potentially trying to sell drugs or marking a parent for hijacking, etc. The same applies to human detection across all suspicious behaviour trends.

Know your child is safe

The My Safe Space initiative is not only designed to keep children safe, but also to allow parents to judge whether the school they are sending their kids to has the necessary safety processes in place, including monitoring drop-off zones for potential hijackers and kidnappers. The safety of one’s children has become an important component of selecting which schools they should attend.

This is not purely a private security initiative; alerts are also sent to Johannesburg's Integrated Intelligence Operations Centre (IIOC). The potential of the initiative is self-evident when considering that in the first 150-day trial, the IIOC reported:

• 87 arrests (including a drug bust),

• 2411 dispatches (including private security),

• 55 impoundments, and

• 767 bylaw infringements.

Naturally, more than one column is required for a complete security solution, which can push the cost up. Some schools may be able to afford it, but most schools in South Africa are struggling due to government neglect and need help raising the funds. Therefore, Dalton and his partners have developed several packages for corporate sponsorship that will promote the sponsoring company, while funding a safer educational environment.

For more information, visit https://itecgroup.co.za/mysafespace/

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