CCTV in schools is often a cause of controversy and debate.

Apparently a UK school CCTV system inadvertently recorded footage of school children getting changed, which prompted this new statement from the Information Commissioner’s Office today:

6 November 2009

CCTV in schools

Jonathan Bamford, Assistant Information Commissioner, said:

“CCTV should only be used for a pressing need. It is perfectly reasonable for a school to use CCTV to help secure its premises, but it shouldn’t be left switched on capturing images of school children changing during the day. When a school is staffed and children are on the premises, cameras will not generally be required for security purposes. Organisations that do capture images using CCTV are required by law to adhere to the Principles of the Data Protection Act. Guidance for organisations using CCTV is available from http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/topic_specific_guides/cctv.aspx”

The statement is published in the Press Release section of the ICO website – here.

Now I am sure that all statements from the ICO are carefully considered and worded so that there can be no ambiguity of meaning, but I’m not entirely sure that they meant what they seem to be saying in that middle sentence:

When a school is staffed and children are on the premises, cameras will not generally be required for security purposes.

Switch the CCTV off during the normal school day???

Comments below please …

PS – check the website of the newspaper local to the school – the Manchester Evening News – lots of comments from concerned parents …

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The UK team at market-leading IP camera manufacturer Axis Communications were recently featured in The Daily Telegraph Business Club:

Axis IP Cameras

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IP cameras are just one of a number of technologies moving rapidly towards the all-connected world of IP networks.

Check out this article on the BBC Technology website about expected IP TV developments:

We are seeing an amazing move of video to IP (internet) networks.

By 2013 90% of all IP traffic will be video; 60% of all video will be consumed by consumers over IP networks.

Malachy Moynihan, Cisco’s vice-president of video product strategy

And:

It’s about unlocking a whole raft of new capabilities and services. Think of TV as an opportunity to give consumers a gateway to infinite choice.

Eric Huggers, director of the BBC’s Future Media and Technology

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With 120+ IP cameras to choose between and so many parameters to consider it can be a little confusing to assess all the features and benefits.

May we recommend that you use the ‘Compare’ function in our webshop.

Simply select any IP camera that you would like to consider and compare, and add it to a comparison table view where all the features will be lined-up side-by-side for you to make a quick and easy comparison.

You can pick products from any category overview page:

• IP Cameras
• Megapixel IP Cameras
• Cube Cameras
• Wireless IP Cameras
• PTZ IP Cameras
• Etc

Or from the actual product page. Simply click on the blue text link that says ‘Add to Compare’.

You can add as many cameras as you are happy to display across your screen width.

As you select each item for comparison it will be noted in the right-hand column.

When you have selected all of the products that you wish to compare then just click the blue ‘Compare Items’ button in that right column.

The controls are quite intuitive, you can easily add more products to compare, remove individual products, or ‘Clear All Items’.

If you need any extra help or information with choosing your IP cameras, software and accessories please feel free to contact us at any time.

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That’s fantastic!

Can you spare a moment to share your experience and pass on a little of your wisdom to all of those folk following in your footsteps and currently pondering:

• Which IP Camera?
• What IP CCTV software?
• Should I use a Network Video Recorder?
• What’s it like in low light?
• Do I really need infra-red?
• Will images from megapixel IP cameras look any better than traditional CCTV?
• It’s too cheap …
• That’s a lot of money …
• I’ve never heard of ACTi, QNAP, Mobotix, Vivotek, Y-Cam, use-IP …

Peer reviews are a fantastic point of reference for anyone trying to make a buying decision.

What you have to say carries a lot more weight than anything we might say …

We have added a new and improved Product Review feature to our IP CCTV webshop.

It allows you to tick what you consider to be the Pros and Cons of a particular product.

Our new system even allows you to create new Pros & Cons if you don’t like the ones we’ve started with

The killer question is handled with a simple drop-down selection:

Would you recommend this product to a friend?

Choose: Definitely Yes, Probably, Not Sure, Unlikely, No Way.

Simple as that, only takes a moment to do, and yet it means so much to anybody reading it!

Of course, there’s also plenty of space for you to offer as much experience and feedback as you feel able to give.

So, can we please ask, that if you own, have used, or have experience with any of the products in our IP CCTV shop, could you please just spare a moment to help those who are still trying to choose?

Just go to the product page and click the link – it will either say ‘Be the first to click this link’ or ‘Add your review’ if there are already reviews for the product.

We don’t mind where you bought your product from, that’s not important, we would just be really grateful for your product feedback and any words that would help others with their choices.

Thank You.

Click the link to visit our IP CCTV Shop and let the feedback flow.

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