Newsroom
The government is considering installing security cameras on all buses used to transport students, following a meeting focused on repeated incidents of misconduct on school routes.
Transport, Communications and Works Minister Eve Tsollaki said the government has agreed to examine the proposal and set a timetable for the steps required to introduce such a system.
The plan would require a tender process and detailed rules governing how the cameras and recorded material would be managed. The Transport Ministry would cover the cost of installing the equipment.
Until a permanent system is introduced, existing measures will remain in place on school buses. These include the use of escorts and inspectors, while parents have also volunteered in some cases to accompany students in an effort to prevent incidents.
How the footage would be used
Under the proposed arrangements, recordings would not be used routinely. Footage would be accessed when a serious incident occurs and a complaint is made to the Police.
An authorised representative of the company operating the service would provide the relevant recording to the Police, which would then investigate the case. A designated person would also be responsible for processing and managing the footage.
The system would be designed in consultation with the Personal Data Protection Commissioner, Maria Christofidou. Only authorised individuals would be permitted to access recordings.
Tsollaki said parents would be informed about the presence of cameras. If a parent did not want their child to travel on a bus where cameras were operating, the choice of whether to use the service would remain with the parent, provided the system was implemented in line with data protection requirements.
Education Ministry: focus should remain on individual incidents
Education, Sports and Youth Minister Athina Michaelidou said the purpose of the measures was to deal with specific cases of misconduct without treating all students as responsible for the actions of a smaller number.
She said the existing protocol for dealing with such incidents had been updated. One of the main difficulties identified by the authorities is establishing which students or groups are responsible when problems occur on buses.
Michaelidou also linked the proposal to the government's efforts to provide safe public transportation for students. The state spends significant amounts on student transport and is seeking to encourage greater use of public transportation.
Where a complaint is made, both the school and the student's parents would be informed. Depending on the circumstances, parents could be required to pay for damage caused during an incident. Schools would also follow the existing disciplinary procedures.
The Education Ministry said strict deadlines should be set for putting the new measures in place, with the aim of reducing incidents and preventing them from being repeated.
