Cabinet agrees, again, to improve security measures on school plants, as police investigate several break-ins

Minister of Education Daryll Matthew has confirmed break-ins at several schools in the past week.  Therefore, he is proposing that, in addition to the police and military patrols, more security features should be added.

In response, the Cabinet reportedly has agreed to increase security by way of additional cameras and alarm systems – which it promised to do since last year.

In the meantime, the Police are investigating a number of break-ins and larceny and an attempted break-in:

Foster Roberts, principal of the Ottos Comprehensive School, reported to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) that unknown persons had broken into the institution and stolen several Lenovo laptops, a quantity of power tools, and a black 32-inch flat-screen television.

Further reports are that the intruders used a hard implement to break the padlocks off several burglar bars, and then pried the locks off a number of wooden doors to gain entry into various classrooms.

This offence reportedly occurred sometime between 1:30 p.m. on January 20 and 7 a.m. on January 23.

Meanwhile, the owner of the Reach for The Stars Learning Center, in Skerritts Pasture, also reported to the CID that the school had been broken into and a black 40-inch flat-screen television taken.

Reportedly, the perpetrators used an implement to pry off a metal burglar bar from a western single window. A hard object was then used to break the glass for the intruders to gain entry.

This offence reportedly occurred between 6 p.m. on January 20 and 2 p.m. on January 23.

Meanwhile, there was an attempted break-in of the Home Economics Center at the Pares Secondary School.

This incident occurred between the afternoon of January 22 and the morning of January 23, at which time an intruder tried to gain entry into the centre on the southern side of the school.

Reportedly, a security officer was making her rounds on the compound at about 6:38 a.m. and, while doing her checks, noticed that the padlock cover was open and a window was ajar.

It appears that, even after having opened the padlock cover and using force to create a gap in a metal louver window, the intruder was unable to gain entry into the building.