Today’s schools face many societal issues that threaten the well-being of students and teachers alike but, when compared to other public organisations like hospitals, colleges and corporate offices, they typically lag behind when it comes to security strategies. A project recently completed in south Wales shows that this needn’t be the case.
Newport Council’s crime problems in schools are no different to any others, ranging from graffiti and broken windows through to break-ins and arson attacks. Lost teaching time and low staff and pupil morale are the disbenefits suffered when schools are under constant attack.
The installation of remotely-monitored CCTV cameras at Eveswell Primary School in Newport has bought about a 100% cut in vandalism and anti-social behaviour since the first camera ‘went live’ back in December 2000.
Eveswell is part of a pilot project – entitled ‘CCTV in Schools’ – initiated by Newport Police in conjunction with Newport Council which aims to address the problem of young people committing crime and causing disorder in and around school premises out of school hours.
The three-month pilot project was designed to construct a working model from which technical and procedural requirements for a wider initiative to some 40 other schools can then be developed.
E-surveillance and School Watch
Using Farsight’s E-surveillance system, cameras monitor the whole school site 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from the Council’s control room in the Civic Centre.
Supplied by Molynx, the cameras are triggered by movement at the site. When they are activated they send an alarm message and images, via the Internet, back to the Council’s School Watch Patrol (an extension of Newport’s estate ranger service) or the police who can respond quickly.
Images are recorded in real time and are stored on the system. Local monitoring and control of the cameras (camera selector, control, image recording and playback) also assists school staff in keeping an eye on the grounds during typical school days.
A useful feature of the system is that the cameras use the school’s existing National Grid for Learning computer network to link with the corporate network at the Civic Centre, from where images are monitored by the Council’s dedicated security team. This reduces the cost of implementing the system as the telephone lines and technical infrastructure are already in place.
Local residents and parents were consulted prior to the installation of the cameras and have welcomed the improvements in community safety. According to Farsight, the reduction of crime and anti-social behaviour at the school offers a potential saving of approximately GB pound 3,500 per annum.
David A’hearne, crime director for Wales, told SMT: “CCTV is a proven deterrent to crime and anti-social behaviour. Although this innovative scheme is the first in England and Wales to use CCTV to protect the school, its pupils and staff from crime, I’ve no doubt that it will be the first of many”.
In fact, according to councillor Bob Bright, cabinet member for community safety, the success of the pilot has “helped the Council secure GB pound 500,000 from the National Assembly for Wales Crime Reduction Unit”. This should enable the powers that be to expand the initiative to 40 other schools in the Newport region.
Indeed, the Council is also exploring the chances of expanding the system to include other sites connected to its central computer network, including leisure centres, libraries and museums.
