24 Years On, Ex-Police Officers Pivotal to Security at Schools

   Osaka, June 8 (Jiji Press)--Former police officers are playing key roles in protecting schoolchildren from crime in Japan as the country has learned lessons from a deadly knife attack at an elementary school in the city of Ikeda in the western prefecture of Osaka 24 years ago.
   Schools across the country are taking measures to ensure the safety of their students, but the efforts may not be sufficient. Incidents apparently targeting elementary school children took place in Tokyo and Osaka last month.
   While some schools are deploying security guards, there are cases in which former police officers recruited by local governments safeguard children.
   On June 8, 2001, a 37-year-old man armed with a kitchen knife intruded into Osaka Kyoiku University's Ikeda Elementary School, killing eight students and injuring 15 other people--13 students and two teachers.
   In 2002, the education ministry created risk control manuals in the event of suspicious figures intruding into school premises.

(2025/06/08-09:03)

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