Children at Abbotsford Public School have taken umbrage at the wave of vandalism and burglary to hit the school. There have been eight cases since June this year.
“Disgusted,sick and furious” ... Students leaving the school.Elizabeth Dobbie
Nine and 10-year-olds have deluged theHerald with letters,written obviously without the help of adults,asking what can be done about the problem.
The letters convey the children’s anger that they cannot replace their equipment and that those responsible for its theft or damage have not been caught.
Contacted yesterday,the school principal would not be interviewed,saying:“The department will not let me make official statements.”
The latest attack occurred on November 23,when thieves apparently forced their way through the front door. They entered the headmistress’s office and stole her keys to other parts of the school.
The burglars then stole thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment which the children,parents and teachers had bought. This included three computers,a video-cassette recorder,Hans Christian Andersen videos,cassette players and other electrical goods.
Bank books were thrown in rubbish bins and money stolen front the canteen.
One student,nine-year-old Lara,said the school had no security guard,burglar alarms or grilles on the windows.
“A desperate need for school security” ... Students at Abbotsford Public.Elizabeth Dobbie
“I felt sad and shocked when I found out,” she said. “Our school spent a lot of time and effort trying to raise the money to buy some equipment and now some unthoughtful person has come and stolen it all.”
Nine-year-old Renee said:“I feel terrible about the robbery - we had held a Fun Day to raise money.” Another nine-year-old,Kathryn,said there was a “desperate need” for school security.
Other pupils felt “very horrified”,“very awful and disgusted”,“very angry”,“disgusted,sick and furious” and “sick and tired of having all the equipment we have worked hard to raise money for stolen every time we come back to school on a Monday morning”.
The spokesman for the Department of Education,Mr Frank Meaney,said school arson and vandalism was costing NSW taxpayers between $10 million and $15 million a year.
A nearby school bus stop was also a target for vandals.Elizabeth Dobbie
“I am very pleased to hear that the young kids from Abbotsford Public School are concerned,” he said. “Children should encourage their parents to phone the police whenever they see someone strange hanging around a school. If they did,the rate of vandalism would drop.
“But vandalism may not just be destruction. It can be destruction to cover up some other damage or robbery.”
“We do as much as we can to cope with the problem,particularly through the installation of sophisticated surveillance equipment and regular security patrols during holidays,but this is not the solution.” Mr Meaney added that the vandals were probably roving gangs of teenagers.