YORKSHIRE: Huge cost of school crime in region revealed

Huge cost of school crime in region revealed

Fire fighters tackle the blaze at
Airedale High School, Castleford,
in January 2007

CRIMINALS targeting Yorkshire schools have cost the region a shocking £9m through burglaries, vandalism and arson attacks in the past two years.

A Yorkshire Post investigation has revealed that more than £2m property has been stolen and youths deliberately burning down school buildings have caused more than £5m damage.

Teachers warn that the incidents cause massive disruption to the education of children at schools affected.

And the situation has become so bad in some areas of the region that schools are hiring private security firms in an attempt to avoid becoming victims of crime.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show there have been 1,580 burglaries and 2,277 vandal attacks carried out on Yorkshire schools in the past two academic years.

One police officer told the Yorkshire Post that schools are "soft targets" for criminals because valuable property such as laptops and whiteboards are left in empty buildings during evenings, weekends and holidays.

But police and firefighters say much of the crime could be avoided if schools were better designed to make intruders more visible and contained sprinkler systems.

Stuart Edwards, a crime reduction officer at South Yorkshire Police, said the police should be consulted more often about the design of new school buildings.

He said: "It varies – some local authorities involve us at an early stage and we are in a position to offer our experience and knowledge in making recommendations to design out crime. But unfortunately that is not always the case and it is very frustrating."

Bradford, Leeds and Kirklees have been among the areas worst affected by burglaries and vandal attacks on schools.

There have been 436 burglaries in Bradford schools since the start of the 2005-6 academic year costing £700,000.

Peel Park Primary School at Undercliffe is one of several schools in the city which has a private security firm patrol its site in an evening. It has also spent about £50,000 on roller shutters for its doors and windows after being repeatedly targeted by thieves stealing computer equipment.

Its administrator Sharon Longmire said the extra security had stopped break-ins but the school was still being vandalised and having lead stolen from its roof.

A head teacher at a Keighley school, who asked to remain anonymous, said her school had abandoned using a security firm, costing £350 a month, as it did not deter vandals.

She said: "Our site is so big that a guard could be one side of the school and not see what was happening at the other. We have spent £20,000 replacing glass windows that have been smashed. We have replaced glass with perspex and put grills on the windows.

"The problem is caused by shopkeepers selling alcohol to under-age drinkers, 14 and 15-year-olds."

She said the constant vandalism had led to parents withdrawing their children from the school.

Pam Milner, the NASUWT's national executive member for West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and York, said: "This crime undermines everything that teachers are trying to do and everything that the children are trying to do... It is a massive disruption on a child's education."

Two fires started by teenage arsonists at schools in West Yorkshire during the last academic year – at Baildon, near Bradford, and Castleford – involved about £5m damage.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been campaigning for eight years for sprinklers to be fitted to all new or refurbished schools to prevent arson attacks becoming devastating.

A spokesman said: "We do not expect sprinkler systems to be fitted into all schools because it would cause such disruption but this Government is embarking on the biggest school rebuilding programme since the 1960s so this is a huge opportunity to get sprinklers into all new schools.

"We have agreements with all five education authorities in West Yorkshire that sprinklers will be installed in their new buildings."

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Huge-cost-of-school-crime.3375754.jp