More Shropshire school buses will be fitted with CCTV cameras “as and when” they are needed, education watchdogs have been told.The systems were introduced during 2004 and are continuing to prove an excellent means of resolving incidents and behavioural issues, says a report.
Twelve of the county council’s secondary schools and one primary school have some of their buses fitted with the cameras.
Behavioural incidents have reduced from a total of 111 reported in the 2006 calendar year to 106 reported during last year until early December.
The report says: “The CCTV systems provide high quality colour images and a standard of four cameras set up per bus, one looking in the stairwell (with audio) and the other three strategically placed to cover the passenger seating area.
“Ultimately, a system providing remotely down-loaded images would be preferred, so that data can be wirelessly transferred from buses to bus depots, schools or the Shirehall. This technology is still some way off being practicable.”
Of the 106 incidents reported last year, nearly 60 were classed as misbehaviour and just over 20 as bullying.
The report being presented to the county council children and young people’s scrutiny panel next Wednesday, says: “It can be seen that the number of reported incidents is very small in relation to the 2.4 million entitled pupil journeys in Shropshire annually.
“This indicates that behaviour on Shropshire school buses is by and large good and that reported incidents are very much the exception. It is also pleasing to see that there were no incidents related to smoking in the last calendar year.”
The report also refers to the rising fuel prices and notes that while there has been no noticeable impact on the school transport operation, the matter is of “some concern” and is being monitored.
More school buses have been fitted with the cameras over the last three years in the run-up to the latest report which calls for the scheme to be extended further “as and when” they are needed.
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