Opinion : Should teachers wear CCTV cameras in schools?

In this modern world in which we live no item of technology has invaded our lives more than the CCTV ‘spy’ camera.

They’re everywhere. In the streets, in shops, in cars and now it seems even in schools. At least that’s what was said in an article that appeared on a national news site entitled ‘Teachers wearing body cameras to control students’ behaviour in new trial‘.

With the unruly behaviour the youngsters of today exhibit in the town centre during school holiday it does not surprise me that teachers are wearing cameras in schools. Indeed my good self dreads to think what actually happens in a modern day school with such badly behaved children.

As far as your humble servant is concerned it’s a good idea for teachers to wear cameras, indeed I think the children should also be allowed to wear them too that way the good children can be protected from the advances of those who go around intimidating others as well as highlighting any deficiencies of the teachers.

It surprises me that the schools haven’t installed cameras in every classroom, corridor and in the playground to monitor all the children all the time.

Of course it is no good recording moving pictures if no action is taken should an untoward incident be recorded. These days, from what yours truly hears, the worst that happens is that a child gets a telling off.

When my good self was at school if someone misbehaved the teacher used to call the offending child to the front of class, whip out a slipper and deliver ten of the best to teach the youngster a lesson.

Afterwards the child was expected to go back to their desk and sit down which, for obvious reasons, was just as painful as the punishment they received.

There are now many motorists driving around the roads with ‘dash cams’ recording every moment of a journey, indeed they can be very useful should there be an accident to determine fault. Modern buses are also laden with cameras recording the passengers inside the bus as well as the goings on outside on the road.

I fear it’s only a short time until ordinary people walking around the street also start wearing cameras too.

In the past few years there has been so much violent crime in Wycombe including robberies, murders and assaults that surely, just like the cars, the people also need cameras to record what’s going on around them?

The invention of the miniature CCTV camera will probably turn out to be one of the most intrusive pieces of technology ever invented. The question is will its power be harnessed for good or will it put us all under the microscope?

What do you think?

*My blogs are published every Tuesday and Friday evening around 8.00pm here on the WycombeToday.com website.

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