Acts of violence

What are acts of violence?

Acts of violence are here defined as acts of terrorism, shooting incidents, threats and other types of violent acts.

Preventive measures

Aarhus University follows the Danish Ministry of Education’s handbook regarding 'Safety and emergency response' (in Danish). The university performs regular assessments of the required emergency response level based on the reported incidents and other relevant aspects.

  • All employees and students have a shared responsibility to take care of colleagues and fellow students in order to prevent any lack of well-being. Lack of well-being may lead to self-destructive actions or acts of violence directed at others. Any suspicion of lack of well-being must be followed by actions.
  • The faculty and the central administration’s management teams are responsible for ensuring that clear guidelines exist which specify the initiatives which may be taken, as well as for ensuring that lines of communication and command are also clearly defined.
  • In case of local concerns about radicalization or school shootings, it is possible to contact East Jutland Police force’s crime prevention unit by calling 7258 2365 or writing an email to ojyl-kriminalpraeventivt@politi.dk. If immediate action from the police is deemed necessary, the unit’s manager must contact the police directly by calling 112.
  • The management of the individual unit must ensure that people locally know about alternatives, e.g. to run, hide or barricade oneself, if evacuation is not deemed to be the optimal solution.

In case of an emergency

  • Run away or hide.

  • Alert the police by calling 112.
  • If possible, call Aarhus University’s emergency phone number: 8715 1617.

  • Follow the instructions for acts of violence.

  • In case of evacuation, follow the plan you know or:
    - Be quiet, take cover in a room, lock/block the entrance, stay near the wall (not in front of the door).
    - Wait for instructions.
    - Stay in the room until the police or a member of staff asks you to come out.
  • The police will be in the highest state of alert, so if you meet the police, do the following:
    - Show your hands to the police, so they can see that you are not dangerous.
    - Stay in the position you are in (lying down, standing, sitting).
    - Wait for and follow the police’s instructions.
  • When the police are present, the manager of the individual unit must enter into a solution-oriented dialogue with the police and also inform the police about the following:
    - Activities in the building.
    - Any information about the perpetrator.
    - The approximate number of people in the building.
    - Drawings of the building(s).
    - The options for communicating with the people in the building.

After an emergency

In connection with violent incidents/emergencies at the individual faculty and/or the central administration, initiatives regarding internal and external communication must be established as quickly as possible and staff and students must be offered crisis counselling.

AU has entered into an agreement with Dansk Krisekorps on psychological counselling which covers all the university's employees. AU’s agreement on psychological counselling only covers work-related matters. Read more under Support functions.

The local management will prepare a communication plan for the specific case in collaboration with the senior management team. The communication must contain the following as soon as possible:

  • The police’s description of the course of events and the current status.
  • AU’s and the authorities’ reaction to the case and handling of the case.
  • Contact information for relatives and the media.