Staff and pupils have been scared after someone may have filmed them in the toilets at Hadsel upper secondary school. On Monday, it became known that surveillance cameras had been installed in six disabled toilets at the school in Vesterålen. For a long time it was uncertain how long the cameras had been attached to the ceiling. When the students started looking through their own photos from social media, they found documentation that the cameras had been hanging there for at least a year. The cameras should look like smoke detectors, but contain a camouflaged camera. From this angle, the surveillance camera has been installed inside the toilet. Photo: John Inge Johansen / news Been there for over a year – Rumors are circulating, and photos from people who think they’ve seen the cameras from a year ago. So we know that the cameras have been hanging there for at least a year, says student council leader Live Guldberg. The pupils, who have been busy with little else this week, are worried about what has been filmed and who is with the material. (former) Sara Stikholmen and student council leader Live Guldberg. Several people are afraid of what the surveillance cameras have captured, says Guldberg. Photo: Jens Andre M. Birkeland – That is what most people fear. That they must have been filmed, and that it must have been spread further, says Guldberg. See the advice on how to reveal surveillance cameras further down in the article. Want school life back Since Monday, pupils, parents and staff at the school have been restless. For now, the police will not say anything more than that the investigation is ongoing. “Crime technicians have started investigations, but because of the investigation, the police will not reveal what kind of equipment this is,” says police lawyer Kine Reierth. Kine Reierth is a police attorney in the Nordland police district. They have not yet examined the cameras that have been handed in to the police. Photo: John Inge Johansen / news The students are impatient and hope that the police will soon clear up the case. – The fact that we can get our school life back and live normally again. People are almost afraid to go to the toilet and find it uncomfortable, says Live Guldberg. Checking all schools Headmaster Inge Holm says that many are scared and anxious, and do not like the idea that the cameras may have been hanging there for over a year. – It is worrying, of course, and we try not to speculate too much. According to what news learns, it was this model, which looks like a smoke detector, that was mounted on the ceiling of the disabled toilet. Photo: PRODUCT IMAGE FROM WEB SUPPLIER In the aftermath of the incident, Nordland County Council has introduced new routines with regular checks for illegal cameras. Not just at Hadsel VGS in Vesterålen, but all schools. On Tuesday, Geir Hareide Hansen, acting county director for education and skills, stated that technology has come so far that a camera can be hidden in practically anything. How to recognize a hidden camera It only takes a few keystrokes to order a camera that looks like a smoke alarm, but also a number of other everyday things. So how can one avoid worrying about being watched? Luckily, hidden spy cameras can be easy to spot if you just know what to look for. In Norway, there are a small number of players who sell what they refer to as “spy equipment” – and all online stores supply this type of camera. Photo: PRODUCT IMAGE FROM ONLINE SUPPLIER Those who own the online stores in Norway do not want to be interviewed about spy cameras. That is why we have contacted a private detective. Terje Holt Horslund has extensive experience with hidden cameras. Not as a source of own work, but to find out if they are nearby. His best tip is to be aware of whether things enter the environment that have changed character. It can be anything from smoke detectors to other things that suddenly change. – In areas where you stay often, it is quite easy to see if you are on guard, says the detective. Here you will find a list of other popular items with a built-in surveillance camera. Car keys Photo: PRODUCT IMAGE FROM ONLINE SUPPLIER The bestseller now worldwide is a car key with a built-in recording option, but the selection is large. Both when it comes to different units – and not least suppliers worldwide. When selling such camouflaged cameras, can they be used in good faith? – It is right on the edge. Basically, they are not legal. There are many different websites where they can be bought, there are hangers and coat hooks with built-in cameras that you can buy and, for example, hang up in the wardrobe there or elsewhere, says the private detective. Smartwatch Photo: PRODUCT IMAGE FROM WEB SUPPLIER – The best way to do it is based on experience with where hidden cameras can be placed. Then there is a lot of equipment you can buy online. These are frequency finders that take in what is used by hidden cameras, says Horslund. He says that they have recorded everything from sockets, light switches or a small clock. Button Photo: PRODUCT IMAGE FROM ONLINE SUPPLIER The smallest model news has so far found online is housed in a wooden screw. – Is it legal? – The Norwegian Data Protection Authority has, after all, regulated the camera industry and the use of surveillance equipment. It is assumed that those who will be traveling in a certain area must be aware that there are cameras. If you then use covert surveillance, then you cannot claim that someone knows the number of cameras, says Holt Horslund. USB adapter Photo: PRODUCT IMAGE FROM WEB SUPPLIER Alarm clocks, electrical junction boxes, USB chargers, TV remote controls and small cameras that can be placed inside anything. Only the imagination sets limits. Datamus Photo: PRODUCT IMAGE FROM WEB SUPPLIER Several have been convicted The cameras pictured earlier in the article, at Hadsel upper secondary school, have not been connected to the county council’s network. Thus, they probably only work against mobile phones that are paired with the camera at close range. It is not the first time that a school has been subjected to this type of offence. At a Swedish school, a 25-year-old installed several cameras. He was sentenced to one and a half years in prison, in addition to compensation of 325,000 Swedish kroner after he was exposed. A stepfather in Norway was not believed to have installed cameras to see if the windows were open in the room. The image section was towards the stepdaughter’s bed. Another man admitted everything when he was exposed for installing multiple cameras in a tenant’s apartment. He said bluntly that the purpose was to see her naked.
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The surveillance cameras in the toilets at Hadsel upper secondary school in Vesterålen may have been there for a year – news Nordland
