CCTV cameras in Aberdeenshire schools are proving value for money by catching offenders, it has been revealed.
Images handed to police from council-owned cameras have resulted in successful prosecutions ranging from vandalism and theft to fire-raising.
Aberdeenshire Council said all academies and most primary schools now had some form of CCTV system.
The authority is also introducing portable units which can be moved from school to school to target "hot spots".
Images from the CCTV systems were handed to Grampian Police 29 times between 2006 and 2008.
The evidence helped secure successful prosecutions on 20 of those occasions.
Richard Stroud, chairman of Aberdeenshire Council's education, learning and leisure committee, said: "These results clearly show that CCTV can be effective in detecting those responsible for vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
"I hope these statistics will act as a deterrent, for every pound spent on repairs could be better spent on education."
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