School CCTV: The Facts

The installation of CCTV can have immediate effects, not only as burglary prevention, but also in other areas:

Vandalism - the cost of repairs due to vandalism and graffiti caused by pupils can be immense. Examples of this can include damage and flooding of toilets, damage to vending machines and lockers, desks, doors etc. This also affects school morale and results in the loss of teaching time. CCTV is very effective in both prevention and catching the culprits.

In certain cases the costs can be passed back to the parents and not taken out of your school budget.

Fact - Vandalism and graffiti account for the majority of individual criminal incidents within the school environment – but reports of incidents decreasing by up to 90% are common where CCTV cameras have been installed.

A school in Nottingham has several vending machines, which were running at a loss due to theft from the machines, vandalism and the repair costs. Since installing CCTV no more damage has occurred and the machines run at a profit with the school reaping the rewards.

In a recent newsletter, the NASUWT states that many pupils are too scared to go to the toilet – fearing bullying and facilities left unhygienic as a result of vandalism.

Bullying – Both mental bullying through intimidation and physical bullying are problems in all schools to a lesser or greater degree. The prospect of getting ‘caught on camera’ and the subsequent evidence produced has reduced bullying dramatically in every school where we have installed CCTV.

Fact - 1 in 10 secondary school pupils are bullied more than once or twice at least in any term (some research says 1 in 3 secondary students are bullied during the course of the school year).

Attacks on boys accounts for 75% of these incidents. Around 10% of children have missed school because of bullying or the fear of.

Up to 40% of secondary school students feel that their teachers are unaware of the bullying which goes on.

It is known that between 15 and 25 children every year commit suicide because they are being bullied. There may be more we don't know about, and many more than this make suicide attempts because bullying has made them so unhappy.

Personal Assault – more serious than bullying, pupils have been assaulted, resulting in cuts, bruises and in more severe cases, serious injury. This can take up huge amounts of staff time, especially if a trip to hospital is required. There is also the time taken dealing with the offender and in meetings with the parents and the Police often out of school hours.

By installing CCTV the number of pupils carrying offensive weapons has decreased. Those pupils caught on camera with offensive weapons can be prosecuted by the Police.

Fact - - It's a frightening thought, but more children are carrying weapons, and when they do, the threat of a serious personal assault is all too likely.

A new study by researchers at Lemos and Crane on behalf of Bridge House Trust, the grant-giving arm of the Corporation of London, suggests that the use of knives and other weapons by young people is on the increase. An unrelated study, quoted in the report, found that one in ten boys aged 11 and 12 carried knives. Of those, 8% had attacked someone, meaning to cause serious harm.

A Mori survey for the Youth Justice Board found that 29% of 11-16 year old school pupils admitted to carrying a knife.

The typical first offender is between 11 and 12 and the most frequent offenders tend to be boys, aged 15-16.

Theft – not only the theft of computers, projectors and other school equipment, but also personal theft of items, mainly out of lockers or school bags in the cloakroom area. Also theft and damage to bikes in the bike sheds. Again by installing CCTV, this can be stopped immediately.

Fact - One of the major risks schools continue to face is theft – particularly with high value items such as computers. Physically securing the room may not be sufficient to deter thieves. Integrating CCTV and Access Control Systems is often the solution.

Drugs - taking drugs is a crime, but rather than punish the pupils, schools have found that they can identify the culprits on camera and give them the appropriate help required.

As for the dealers, the video evidence can be passed to the Police and these people can be dealt with through the justice system.

Fact - The following statistics are from the results of a major national survey of secondary school children aged 11-15 published by the Department of Health in 2002.

12% of pupils had used illegal drugs in the last month and 20% had used illegal drugs in the last year.

Boys are slightly more likely to report using drugs than girls: 13% of boys reported taking drugs in the last month compared to 11% of girls

Use of drugs increased with age. Six percent of 11-year-olds had used drugs in the last year compared to 39% of 15-year-olds.

Cannabis is the most likely drug to have been used, with 13% of pupils reporting use in the last year. Cannabis use also increases sharply with age with 1% of 11-year-olds having used the drug in past year compared with 31% of 15-year-olds.

Class A drugs had been used by 4% of 11-15 year olds. One percent say they used heroin or cocaine.

Volatile substances such as glues, gases and aerosols were misused by 7% of 11- to 15-year-olds. Among younger age groups it is more widely used than cannabis.

Smoking - mainly in the toilets. Again by catching smokers on camera you can not only identify individuals but also give them help. Also see School CCTV: FAQs

Arson – this is an on-going problem. The cost and disruption to the school and the list of consequences is endless. Installing CCTV acts as a deterrent, and the camera evidence has been passed to the police and convictions have been made.

Fact - Statistically 1 in 15 schools will suffer a fire. According to the DfES, 75% of all fires reported in schools are as the result of Arson. In 2000 the costs of fires to schools amounted to around £65m

To deter a would-be arsonist, professionally installed, managed and maintained CCTV systems can monitor access points and vulnerable locations around the premises, and can aid quick response to limit damage and may provide valuable evidence.

Truancy – it is a parents responsibility to get their children to school. However, pupils leaving the school, after registration has been taken in the morning, is increasing. The school is held responsible for the children while they are supposed to be at school.

Fact - Across the country as a whole, more than a fifth of secondary school pupils - 21% - were absent without permission at some stage, on average for 15 "half days".

Almost everyone took some unauthorised leave during school time - 92% of the pupils in primary schools and 93% of those in secondary schools.

Accidents - there have been occasions when claims have been made against the school and these claims can be refuted with the use of CCTV. Accidents can be a result of bullying.

Unauthorised Access - monitoring access to the school is easily achieved by installing a combination of cameras and access control. This controls the entrances to the school grounds and the school itself.

Malicious Claims - there are ever increasing claims made against staff, which can result in the teacher being suspended on full pay, pending an enquiry. There is also the stress the teacher has to suffer while being suspended pending investigation. CCTV can stop this, giving teachers a secure environment in which to work.

Fact - A Merseyside MP has called for CCTV to be installed in all school classrooms to cut the number of false allegations made against teachers. Claire Curtis-Thomas, a Liverpool MP, spoke out as chairwoman of an all-party group investigating claims of mistreatment of pupils and said that cameras were the way forward. The call comes as the number of accusations against teaching staff continues to soar and the conviction rate has fallen. Unions claim that teachers have even committed suicide over false claims