Belgian Municipality Tests Panic Buttons to Protect Staff from Aggression

The municipality of Puurs-Sint-Amands is taking proactive steps to enhance staff safety by introducing a new system of fixed and mobile panic buttons. This initiative aims to equip municipal employees with the tools to feel more secure when interacting with the public, particularly during challenging conversations.

Mayor Koen Van den Heuvel highlighted the necessity of the system, citing past incidents of aggression, including a visitor throwing a brick at a counter and another bringing a fighting dog into the town hall. "We want to give employees more self-confidence and comfort to initiate sometimes difficult conversations," Van den Heuvel stated.

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We want to give employees more self-confidence and comfort to initiate sometimes difficult conversations.

The system, installed by The Wizard of Dreams, includes approximately a dozen fixed panic buttons discreetly placed behind service counters. When activated, a red light illuminates across the hall, alerting colleagues on other departments via 11 tablets distributed throughout the building. These colleagues can then assess the situation and provide appropriate assistance. Notably, the fixed buttons do not directly alert the police.

Complementing the fixed buttons are 50 mobile panic buttons, designed as smartwatches. These are intended for staff, such as those in the social services department, who conduct home visits. If an employee wearing a watch feels threatened, they can press the button to send an alert to the municipal building. Employees are not permitted to take these smartwatches home.

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Behind the counters, we have installed these discreet buttons, with which an employee can ask for help if there is a problem. If you press the button, a light turns red on the other side of the counter hall. This way, the targeted employee sees that the alarm has been activated.