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Britain: CCTV turning schools into 'prisons'
Researchers found the widespread use of CCTV, ID cards, electronic registration systems, fob-controlled gates and fingerprint technology as British schools attempt to crackdown on troublemakers.
Staff at one comprehensive patrolled corridors and playgrounds with radios to make sure children behaved at lunchtimes, while teachers at a private school used technology to spy on children's computer and internet use.
Researchers suggested that the sheer scale of surveillance was fueling paranoia among many pupils.
According to the report, children at an all-girls' secondary school claimed that "voyeuristic" cameras could be used to monitor them in changing rooms and toilets.
The conclusions, in a study by Hull University, come amid growing concerns over a rise in the use of surveillance techniques in schools.
As many as 85 per cent of teachers have reported the use of CCTV in their schools and one-in-10 admitted cameras were even trained on toilets.