CCTV TO FIGHT RISE IN DRUG ABUSE IN SCHOOLS

Closed-circuit television is expected to be installed in school
playgrounds after new research showed that one in three 12-year-olds
has been offered drugs.

The measure, which could be piloted in Scotland, is being considered
by ministers north of the border who want to protect pupils being
targeted by pushers. It follows growing evidence of drugs in an
environment where parents traditionally believed their children to be
safe.

In one recent case heroin worth more than pounds 500 was found in the
schoolbag of an 11-year-old boy in a Govan primary school.

Angus MacKay, the Deputy Justice Minister in the Scottish Parliament,
intends to liaise closely with parents on how to protect their
children and has promised to consider all suggestions seriously.

He told The Times that he is considering extending the use of CCTV,
which is increasingly common in city centres to tackle street crime.
"CCTV in the playground could make a difference to security," he said.
"If there are dealers it could be one way of deterring their
activities, protecting children and making playgrounds safe."

Mr MacKay fears that children in their first year of secondary school
may be particularly vulnerable to drug dealers because they have left
their familiar primary school environment and are forced to make new
friends. The Government research showing just under 30 per cent of
12-year-olds have been offered drugs appears to underline the scale of
the problem.

Scotland's biggest teaching union last night welcomed the proposal.
But Ronnie Smith, General Secretary of the Educational Institute of
Scotland, warned that CCTV could simply shift a problem from the
playground to another area, although it would prevent some innocent
pupils from being exposed to drugs in the school environment.