School hit by 18 burglaries in 18 months

Published: 9:03PM Tuesday October 04, 2011 Source: ONE News

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A school in Palmerston North has been burgled 18 times in the past 18 months.

Thirty-eight plasma televisions have been stolen from Ross Intermediate while $50,000 has been spent on improving security.

The latest break in was just last night and the Principal Wayne Codyre has had enough.

A student from Ross Intermediate told TV ONE's Close Up the burglars think that they can take what they want even if it does not belong to them.

Another student said it is disappointing and is affecting their learning.

"I find it really sad when I come to school and find that the doors are smashed and there's work scattered all over the room and the TV is gone," one student said.

"We work hard for the things that we have in our school so kids here have the opportunity to do things they can't do out of school and they're taking those opportunities off those kids and I don't think its fair and go away!" a teacher said.

Following the latest break-in Codyre sent TV ONE's Close Up a plea for help.

"We're very much a forward thinking school very much a lead school in IT and e-learning plus we have a TV studio in the school and of course the only way we can broadcast our shows live around the schools is through plasmas and when they keep going off the walls that makes it very difficult."

He told TV ONE's Close Up the burglars stop at nothing and are determined to get what they want.

"We've had enough, we need something to happen, we need someone to come forward who must know something."

The school has cut down all pedestrian and vehicle access to the school through barrier arms, put deadlocks on the doors, changed the way alarms activate and engraved the name of the school on the plasmas.

The school also contacted the Ministry of Education in January and still do not have any action from a security audit.

Since then there has been around six more burglaries with the cost of insurance excess' $9,000.

The school has a meeting with the Ministry tomorrow to discuss security plans.

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