Opinion Piece: Someone to

watch over our children

By Mark Chertkow, Managing Director at Graphic Image Technologies (GIT) March 2013 Ongoing international media coverage of fatal school shootings by disturbed individuals with easy access to educational facilities has sparked a debate in schools about the effective use of closed circuit television (CCTV) systems as an additional security barrier. While our educators and on-site security personnel have been moderately effective to decrease crime and security breaches in canteens, corridors and sports fields, it has proven that it is simply not sufficient to foster a safe and conducive learning environment. In recent years, CCTV has revolutionised law enforcement and pro-active surveillance activities, catching criminals quicker and upping conviction rates, but the technology has always been shrouded by controversy, both from a cost-effective and ethical perspective. In the United Kingdom where CCTV is ever-present in almost every aspect of public life, questions have been raised about the modus operandi of surveillance in education institutions. The monitoring of teacher behaviour, enforcement of student discipline, the stifling of freedom of expression and association of those who oppose the laws of the status quo are just some of the concerns in a bid to turn the cameras off. However, the security that CCTV systems provide far outweighs the negative connotations of a 24-hour surveillance system. Education institutions have to protect their expensive equipment housed within the facilities. Real-time surveillance gives students and teachers a greater sense of security and safety. It also serves as a deterrent for criminal or unruly behaviour. If incidents are caught on camera, disputes can be resolved more accurately based on physical evidence and perpetrators will have to face the long lens of the law. So why hasn’t CCTV surveillance been more widely adopted if the safety of our learners is our primary concern? In the past, CCTV surveillance video was deployed as an onsite service requiring dedicated monitoring of the CCTV cameras by a staff member. Now, with the ability to use offsite access to the CCTV cameras over low bandwidth networks, a number of institutions and facilities can be monitored centrally saving costs and improving efficiency. Additionally, digital storage capacity required to house the footage was not cost-effective, and ongoing maintenance and skills required to operate these systems further moth-balled many organisations' CCTV aspirations. So what has changed? New developments in video compression and broadband technology have paved the way for low bit- rate video monitoring systems that can be easily deployed over IP-based networks. The video streams are funnelled to centralised control rooms or over cellular networks that can be accessed via GPRS or 3G, ADSL, MyWireless, or any other IP-based WAN link. This new breed of video surveillance systems is capable of delivering video at rates from 8Kbps to 2Mbps, keeping data usage low. Security personnel can access the solution from anywhere in the world at any time and have a real-time view of the school grounds. By allowing management to access remote sites when an alarm is triggered at night, CCTV becomes a proactive response tool instead of a post-event investigative solution. To review any incidences that were reported, software solutions are also available that enable security personnel to review footage, create, view and export a video synopsis for post-event investigative purposes. One such example is the SerVision who has taken their CCTV solutions for the education environment one step further by making them truly mobile. In addition to monitoring the school campus, the same platform has been extended to school buses transporting learners to and from the facility or outdoor activities. These units provide high-quality video recording and transmission capability in a compact and rugged chassis, designed for in- vehicle use. In addition to viewing recorded footage, it is possible to watch live video from the buses remotely, even when driving in GPRS coverage areas without a requirement for 3G. Vehicle management staff can log in and view live footage while the buses are on the road, and with the integrated GPS, the speed and location of the buses can be ascertained immediately. This also further increases the safety of the learners as they are transported from one venue to another. In closing, utilising a combination of wireless CCTV surveillance monitoring systems, educational facilities can restore a new sense of accountability to those that work for or against the greater purpose of learning. About Graphic Image Technologies Graphic Image Technology (GIT) was formed in 1991 and specialises in remote CCTV and control room technologies as well as broadcast technologies including video playout, compression and transmission. The company targets organisations that require CCTV technology and broadcasting companies with its solutions, delivering technology that has been specifically chosen due to its quality and best of breed status. The company features a level 2 BBEEE status. Editorial contacts: Graphic Image Technologies Mark Chertkow Managing Director Tel: 011-4830333 Email: markc@git.co.za Evolution PR Lesley Rencontre Tel: 011-462 0679 Email: lesley@evolutionpr.co.za