This article was written by Colonel (Ret.) Beni Tal – Founder and Owner of BTS Security
The occupancy in the hospitals and emergency rooms especially during this time of the year, brings the level of violence to new levels. In order to address this concern, a security force in charge of stopping the riots in hospitals should be established.
Attacking the medical staff is wrong – and such acts must be punished
Recently we have witnessed a serious deterioration as far as public order and violence in various hospitals in Israel is concerned. Many patients feel that they or their family members do not receive the proper medical care and so they allow themselves to let go of their angers and channel them towards the medical staff.
Unfortunately, often enough doctors are simply attacked by patients or their family members because they don't get the response they wanted. When the hospital's occupancy goes beyond 100% – people tend to be more aggressive, also because they are certain that using force will get them anywhere.
Beni Tal – Securing Hospitals
Despite the fact that such incidents became even more common lately, hospitals haven't yet realized that their own personnel has to be secured in a different way, giving it serious thought. The current security forces located at the hospitals simply aren't enough. Just recently I saw yet another article published in YNET about an attack against the medical staff. Family members actually believe that by doing so – they will receive better treatment. A change must occur before an unprecedented disaster will take place.
Security guards should become an indispensable part of any hospital
First of all, a hierarchy of security guards, echelons, or cycles if you like, must be created. The first cycle will include guards securing the hospital from any external and terrorist threat. The second cycle will include strong and busty guards that will be posted in various key places (such as the ER or the entrance to any department) – and authorized to use reasonable force in order to prevent an attack.
Scattering trained security staff around the hospital will help creating deterrence against the offenders that will think twice before starting a fight that will get them into a conflict with the guards. The security guards will have the option to intervene whenever they reach a conclusion that such an intervention is of an essence. They will also have the authority to handcuff the offenders.
To conclude, the security guards themselves don't have to be armed. The simply have to be trained and highly qualified in Krav Maga (Contact-Combat) and carry handcuffs. Finally, guards should also be posted at departments such as the oncology department or the delivery departments because if god forbid, somebody passes away – a riot starting with sheer grieve might ensue.