School puts CCTV in toliets to beat bullies

Manchester Evening News | Feb 7, 2007 

Pupils know they’re being watched 24 hours a day

A SCHOOL is putting CCTV in its toilets to cut down on bullying.

Astley Sports College in Dukinfield has installed the cameras to make sure there are no hiding places for school bullies.

“It’s just a clever use of the technology that’s available,” said deputy head Ian Gilbert. “We had a grant to spend on security so it seemed natural to spend it on CCTV. We surveyed the pupils and asked if they would object to cameras in the toilets. The majority of the pupils said no, so we decided to put one camera in the boys’ and one in the girls’.”

The cameras are directed on the wash basins and the door and do not film inside the cubicles or urinals. They are just two of the school’s 38 cameras which cost around £20,000.

Mr Gilbert added: “They’ve definitely proved their worth because pupils know they’re being watched 24 hours a day. There are cameras on the corridors, in all the communal spaces and outside on the playground. If there are incidents of poor behaviour there’s nothing like showing the pupils what they’ve done – you can’t argue with the camera!