Teachers : hands up for CCTV in schools

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in public places has become a widely accepted method of surveillance for the purpose of public safety and crime management (Moran, 1998). Over recent years, increased public concern, media attention and political pressure over high levels of disruptive behaviour and violence in schools have prompted educators to search for new and more effective methods of combating the problem (Christie, Petrie and Christie, 1998). One of the methods explored has been the introduction of CCTV into the educational environment. The practice has since become increasingly widespread in many countries, including The United States of America and The United Kingdom (The United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2002: Association of Teachers and Lecturers, 2008). This increase is reflected in Australia where the number of schools implementing CCTV surveillance has continued to rise (Australian Education Union, 2003). It would appear that this trend is set to continue as an increasing number of Australian schools implement CCTV. This raises questions regarding the purpose of the increase and the effectiveness of CCTV for the purpose. As there is currently no research available to address those questions, the purpose of this project was to identify the perceptions of key stakeholders in education on the use of CCTV in schools. To determine the perceptions of key stakeholders, a sample of six participants were purposefully selected to include principals, early childhood and primary teachers. The participants shared their perceptions during individual, semi-structured interviews. It was established through this research that a perception exists that CCTV in schools has the potential to contribute to significant improvements to school safety and performance. In addition to the identification of the perceived benefits of CCTV, the research also established several serious concerns over the process of management and control of CCTV within the school environment. As a result of the findings of the study it was recommended that there is a significant need for further consultation with key stakeholders in education prior to the discussion of future decisions regarding the implementation of CCTV surveillance in schools