Resume
Incidents in Schools in Europe as Part of Hybrid Warfare
plk. Mgr. Kristýna Holubová, Ph.D., Police Academy of the Czech Republic in Prague, Faculty of Security Management, Department of Crisis Management
doc. Mgr. Oldřich Krulík, Ph.D., Criminal Police and Investigation Service, Central Analytics Department
Abstract
In September 2024, the Czech Republic faced an unprecedented wave of threats aimed at educational institutions. Elements of the state security system, including the Police of the Czech Republic, drawing also on the experience of foreign partners, concluded that the primary ambition of these threats was to induce chaos, while the likelihood of a real attack remained very low. This article presents a synthesis of three interrelated aspects of the issue. First, it provides an overview of similar incidents that have occurred in Europe in recent years, many of which show characteristics of hybrid action. The second part focuses on mapping the findings of foreign partners concerning trends in incidents within the school environment. The third part presents illustrative examples of current countermeasures implemented abroad, with Slovakia’s current practice offering a particularly comprehensive approach in this context.
Keywords: Schools, incidents, security, threats, hybrid operations, countermeasures, comparison.