Move to install cameras in schools approved

Personal data protection commissioner Irene Loizidou Nicolaidou on Tuesday approved a plan to install CCTV cameras at schools.

The plan had been submitted to her by the education ministry with the aim of “dealing with violence and delinquency.”

Following the completion of an impact assessment, she gave her approval for cameras to be installed on a number of conditions.

Those include that video cameras be placed at and around the main entrances and exits of schools, that only areas within school bounds be recorded, and that the cameras be operational only when schools are closed.

In addition, she said video footage should not be stored for more than 72 hours, that access to recorded material should be “strictly limited”, and that warning signs should be posted so that those who may be recorded are aware.

The cameras will initially be installed in 10 schools as part of a pilot programme.

The installation of security cameras will go hand in hand with the hiring of overnight security guards, who are set to be employed at schools to protect them from vandalism and trespassing during the Easter holidays, set to start on April 27.

School boards chairman Dinos Ellinas told the Cyprus Mail in March that the security guards will patrol schools on nights when there is a heightened likelihood of criminal activity, such as on results days or holidays.

He added that the guards will work in addition to and not instead of the security guards who currently man high schools and technical schools during the school day.