An education in CCTV

In today's schools, management teams are under increasing pressure to provide far more than high standards of education. In order to achieve their prime objectives, head teachers, financial managers, governors and officials from Local Education Authorities are also responsible for providing cost-effective security that will enable the smooth day-to-running of a given site.

With acts of vandalism, arson and theft driving up insurance premiums at an alarmingly high rate, and threats against members of staff on the increase, the provision of effective and efficient security systems technology that's able to detect and deter such incidents is absolutely vital. The protection of pupils, school employees and property is now higher on the Government's scholastic agenda than at any time in the past.

The best way to illustrate the problems facing school security and site managers is to examine the 'real life experience'. After suffering from a series of broken windows and break-ins which led to an increase in insurance premiums and an escalation of insurance claims 'excess' charges from £75 up to £500 (per claim), mandarins at Kettlethorpe High – one of Wakefield's largest schools – decided to take action.

Having been awarded the status of specialist mathematics and computing college by the Government, the accompanying benefit of a one-off grant of £100,000 (plus £123 per pupil for four years) afforded the school's managers a chance to create a better environment for all.

Allied to being plagued by problems with the school's existing black and white camera system which had been installed over eight years ago, Alan Hampshire – Kettlethorpe's finance and site manager – decided that the time had come to sort out the problem and he duly ushered in a total review of the school's safety measures.

Hampshire finally selected Acctive Systems of Surrey as the school's preferred installer. Although not a local concern, Acctive offered an installation and support package that bettered even those of more local security suppliers. "Ultimately, our brief had demanded a system that would not only provide us with effective 24-hour surveillance coverage, but also – due to our unfortunate experience with the previous CCTV system – a guaranteed four-hour service and maintenance call-out."

Securing a solution
Reflecting on the practical advice offered on the equipment, installation and procurement of the surveillance system, CCTV solutions specialist Chris Jackson of Acctive Systems explained: "All-too often, companies choose to invest in stand-alone security systems only to find out at a later date that they'll not ultimately cater for their immediate requirements, and that they may not be able to accommodate future expansion needs."

To provide comprehensive images of the school's main driveway, junior playground, portacabins, gym block, car park and building perimeters, Acctive specified high resolution cameras together with a series of vandal-proof domes. Able to supply useable images throughout a range of diverse conditions, the automatic day/night switching cameras – in combination with digital video recording – provide images of sufficient quality to be used as prosecution evidence should the need arise.

"One of our main problems concerns the school's perimeters," continued Alan Hampshire. "Unfortunately, due to the nature of our grounds we don't have a totally secured and fenced-off enclosure. This enables easy site access, and people can use the grounds as a shortcut which affords the opportunity for acts of vandalism to take place. The good thing is that local people are now very aware of the new surveillance system. Its capabilities are definitely acting as a deterrent."

Since the new camera set-up was installed, instances of trespassing, acts of vandalism and break-ins have decreased markedly. "In the future we'll not hesitate to use the recorded video footage for prosecuting offenders, and it will be school policy to secure a contribution towards the cost of repairs for damage caused by malicious acts," added Hampshire. Aside from the pure security issues, the surveillance system is seen as being a great aid to improving pupil behaviour. With just 26 supervisors to manage 1,700 pupils at break times, the system ensures that the school's ruling – ie 'Pupils remain on site and within school grounds' – is rigidly adhered to.

An effective specification
The range of monochrome and colour cameras chosen for the project offer several advantages to the end user. For instance, the Super DII day/night switching cameras can be used to pick out important detail that might otherwise be lost. If an unauthorised vehicle enters the school's grounds at night, vital detail such as its number plate will be monitored even against the vehicle's bright headlights.

For general use – including surveillance of the school's window-lined corridors, entrance ways and reception hall, where highly contrasting light conditions mean that the background can often 'white out' with foreground details appearing as a silhouette – the identification of a person can cause a problem that's difficult for ordinary CCTV cameras to resolve. However, the Super DII system is specially-designed to overcome these traditional deficiencies, supplying the end user with clearer pictures and images full of essential detail.

In other words, good quality cameras will maximise the effectiveness of your installation.

To assist with the smooth running of the system, the capability to record consistently high quality CCTV footage without the need for having to manage the daily changeover of video tapes was a high priority for Alan Hampshire. Providing an effective solution, Acctive specified the use of two digital hard disk video recorders programmed to 'loop' record over a 30-day period.

Rapidly superseding the more traditional use of analogue video technology, the latest generation of digital video recording systems offer a far superior image quality when compared to that of cassette tape time-lapse recorders.

Offering the practical solution that Hampshire was seeking, other benefits derived from the deployment of digital video recording equipment stem from its ability to provide an incredibly fast and convenient way to search the hard disk and locate recorded footage. A valuable saving on management time.

Surveillance across 24 hours
Recognising that the majority of incidents occur out of school hours, on top of the on-site system Acctive's reply to tender included the provision of remote site CCTV monitoring for 24-hour site protection.

Using digital video transmission equipment, the school's camera images may be transmitted across ordinary telephone lines for monitoring and incident response by a specialist remote monitoring station.

Activated by the provision of Redwall motion sensors located around the school buildings, if an activation occurs the system automatically dials-up the central monitoring station where operators can make a visual verification of the incident and take necessary action (whether that be alerting the keyholder or contacting the emergency services).

Making use of outdoor 'horn' speakers located alongside the external CCTV cameras, the remote monitoring station can also proactively prevent a problem before it has time to develop. Making a 'live' announcement over the PA system to warn trespassers or intruders that they "are being watched" – and that the security services have been contacted – has, in a relatively short space of time, proven to be a highly effective deterrent.

Budget wise, Kettlethorpe High School has benefited from a unique contract offered by Acctive which allowed the school to upgrade its system from analogue to digital without any major capital outlay. Taking advantage of Acctive's in-house financing package, Alan Hampshire spread the cost of purchasing the new system by committing to an inclusive three-year maintenance agreement only – thus procuring the CCTV equipment for free.

At the end of that period, the school will own the equipment outright, leaving them with the option to agree a further ongoing maintenance package at a reduced flat rate.