Project information
Preventing Aggressive Behavior: A Collaborative Initiative with State Police and Primary Schools

The mass shooting at Charles University on December 21, 2023, marked a tragic first for the Czech Republic. While mass school shootings are often associated with the United States, Europe has not been immune. Research by Alexei Anisin and his team indicates that there have been at least 76 such incidents in Central and Eastern Europe over the past decade. The Czech Republic, in particular, has experienced several high-profile cases, including the 2019 attack at Ostrava University Hospital, the 2015 shooting in Uherský Brod, and the 2014 knife attack and hostage-taking in Žďár nad Sázavou. These events underscore the country's need to address mass shootings as a serious threat.

Current preventive measures primarily focus on the university and secondary school environments. However, an analysis of crime statistics reveals a broader issue: concerning behaviors among primary school pupils, including violence, promotion of violence, imitation, and radicalization—factors often linked to mass shooters.

This research project is being conducted in collaboration with the State Police and focuses on the development and evaluation of a screening tool for elementary school teachers to help select students at increased risk for aggressive behavior and the development and evaluation of a training program for these teachers to increase the effectiveness of the use of this measurement tool. A systematic police work can then be implemented to help distinguish real threats from acting out.

In this first phase my research will focus on creating a scaling tool for elementary school teachers that could identify students with potentially high-risk aggressive behavior and establishing a functional collaboration with the Czech police to prevent aggressive attacks to the extent possible. A quantitative study focusing on mapping the causes and manifestations of risky behaviour in primary schools and an evaluation study of the effectiveness of programmes for teachers is an integral part of the research project.

The project will primarily be implemented in cooperation with the Příbram Police Department and schools in the Central Bohemia region. If the project is successful, we plan to expand it to other parts of the Czech Republic and possibly create a supporting web application.