Break-ins at schools, both public and private, continue across the country

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REAL NEWS: Break-ins at schools, both public and private, continue across the country, with thieves making off with electronic items and vandalizing the school plants.  Several such offences occurred over the Labour Day weekend.

Reports are that the vice principal of the St. John’s Seventh Day Adventist School, located at Mary E. Pigott Street, Ottos, contacted the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and reported a break-in sometime between 7:30 p.m. on April 30 and 10:45 a.m. on May 1.

It is believed that the perpetrators used a hard implement to pry open the doors and enter a number of classrooms, which were then ransacked, and several electronic items – including a Raspberry Pi tablet, a Dell laptop, and a VGA-HDMI adaptor – were stolen.

The scene has been processed, and the Police allegedly have found items that would assist in finding the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, investigations continue into a break-in at the Ottos Comprehensive School (OCS), which forced classes to be delayed by about two hours on Tuesday, May 2.

Reportedly the vice-principal reported to the Police that he had left the compound sometime after 1 p.m. on May 1 and returned at about 5 p.m. that same day – only to discover that classroom windows had been opened and spray-paint had been used to write indecent language on several areas of the school.

The intruders reportedly entered the biology lab through an eastern window; and, having done so, set on fire a book that was on the teacher’s desk.  The physics laboratory was also ransacked.

However, despite all this damage, the perpetrators did not steal anything.

Gladys Potter, an alumna of the OCS and the United Progressive Party’s caretaker for St. John’s Rural South, took to the airwaves, on Wednesday morning, to decry the vandalism.

In this regard, she chides the Browne Administration for what she sees as yet another “failure” – its failure to provide secure and safe premises, as has been requested, repeatedly, by the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers.

After staging protest action that delayed the start of Term 3, in April, the teachers were assured by the Minister of Education that security improvements were well underway and would continue, and so the educators resumed working.

However, Potter believes the Administration intended mainly to placate the Teachers Union and has not properly honoured its commitment.  This failure, she believes, is what left room for the breach and subsequent offences to take place at the OCS.

The Government reportedly has begun to implement CCTV security systems at a number of public schools to avert or curtail incidents like this.  Some critics have said that, unless the systems are monitored 24/7, their installation does little to solve the problem.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. The country that I love and adore is spiralling out of control, and what is our illustrious Prime Minister doing to reassure us?

    Nothing, that’s right nothing, because he’s preparing to dance abroad (again) at some damn nonsensical pageantry in the United Kingdom.

    Without a shadow of a doubt we currently have one of the worst leaders in office.

    WE ANTIGUANS DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER …

  2. CONTROL YALL DAMN KIDS!!! Always blaming others for your short comings. Do your JOB as PARENTS. Shit man this is getting out of control. It all starts from home. If you are having issues with your children report them to the authorities. Their asses need to be in school or even learn a trade instead of taking what does not belong to them.
    STOP finger point on which party is the blame come together as a one people to find a solution.

    • “… come together as a one people to find a solution”.

      Forgive me @ Justice, isn’t that the government’s responsibility: ‘to find a solution to a country that is spiralling out of control?’

      • The government put certain policies and procedures in place which we as ANTIGUANS do not follow. So we cant blame them if this is happening. We must start with the PARENTS of these destructive children. Back in the day you could leave your homes unlocked and go to work but not now our children are out of control and we MUST come together for this to work.

  3. I’m absolutely sure this is now “politically motivated”
    The timing is just too perfect.

    • @ Local Youth

      You are just trying to deflect responsibility for all the robberies and vandalism occurring on the island…….and this is due to the pain and suffering that Antiguans and Barbudans have to deal with on a daily basis. Prices and cost of living are OUT OF CONTROL and the government has DONE NOTHING to help poor people during this time.
      Poor people and the unemployed have to resort to crime to eat bread.
      We are in an IRAQ/ RUSSIA situation, and there is no way out. Poor Antigua and Barbuda, but what we buy (the ABLP), we must wear!

  4. There are studies out there that show a correlation between crime and poverty. One thought suggest, “In summary, there are links between poverty and certain types of crimes. Income inequality is positively related to all three types of crime. As money is distributed more evenly, all types of crime should decrease.” Another suggest: Inadequate food and poor or limited access to clean water- relocation in search of food and clean water drains limited resources (especially in poor economies), causing the poor to get poorer as they seek basic necessities for survival.”
    There is no question that all of the above are disturbing problems in Antigua and Barbuda. These problems can all be attributed to this ALP government misguided by the incompetent Gaston Browne. They say the first law of nature is, SELF-PRESEVATION, and people will do whatever it takes at times to survive.
    The longer this government last, the worst this will get.

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