Sweden’s Swedish government has announced it wants to boost security in schools after the country’s worst-ever attack, including allowing teachers to search school bags.
Schools should put contingency plans in place in the event of a violent attack. At the same time, access to educational institutions will require a password, a badge or keys and rules for installing surveillance cameras will be simplified, Education Minister Johan Persson said.
Teachers and other workers will also be able to search students’ bags, without warning, at primary and secondary schools and adult education centers.
“We are working hard to improve the safety of students, teachers, and other school workers,” the minister said.
If approved by parliament, the new measures will come into force on July 1.
On February 4, 35-year-old Rickard Anderson walked into an adult education center in the city of Orebro and opened fire, killing 10 people before killing himself. Anderson had attended the center twice, in 2013 and between 2019 and 2021.
Police found three guns, shell casings, and other ammunition near his body that he had not used.
Anderson, who police said was unemployed and had a clean criminal record, had a hunting license and four guns. He had been living in seclusion in his apartment since 2016 and had “minimal contact with other people,” including his family.
His motives remain unknown.
Three days after the massacre, the government announced that it wanted to restrict citizens’ access to certain types of semiautomatic weapons, including AR-15s.
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