School hit hard by burglars

Principal: 'We're prisoners in our own community'

Kaitaia Primary School principal Brendon Morrissey was an angry man on Tuesday morning. His bottom school teachers and their pupils, the primers, had arrived after their long weekend to discover that the block had been burgled, and more.

The intruders had gone into every classroom, and the staff room, stealing property, apparently targeting electronics although the teachers had yet to draw a complete list of what was missing, and throwing paint over walls, whiteboards and carpeted floors.

Mr Morrissey said the property stolen, including laptop computers, digital cameras and a transponder unit used to teach a deaf child, would run into many thousands of dollars, while repairing the damage would also be expensive.

But while he was angry that his school had been targeted, despite the precautions taken (including the installation of security cameras, which police were hoping would identify the offenders), he was more concerned by a continuing high level of crime in Kaitaia.

"We need to organise a sting of some sort. These guys really need to be caught in the act," he said.

"We are being held prisoner in our own community by young people who have no feeling at all for other people or the harm they do by stealing or damaging other people's property. Their view seems to be that if it doesn't belong to them it doesn't matter what they do with it.

"It's very sad for us all. The hard-working people in this community, the people who go to work every day and work their butts off, are an easy target for them."

The answer, he added, probably lay in some sort of action being taken at district council level - he was impressed by the positive impact of a council/business community response to the problems created by idle young hands in Otorohanga - given that some Kaitaia youths in the middle to senior secondary school age group seemed to be "kind of lost."

"Even if they've been brought up the right way, and some of them have, there is still a chance that they will do these things," he said.

"We've got to get them off the streets at night. We've got to stop this sort of damage being done."

Police were at the school on Tuesday morning, scene of crime officer Constable Barry Murray saying he would be there all day looking for evidence that would identify the offenders. He had every hope that evidence, including fingerprints and DNA, would be found, although the security cameras offered the most immediate hope.

"They've been right through the block, into every room," he said.

"We're not sure yet exactly what's been taken but it will be substantial, and they've done a lot of damage."

They had also helped themselves to cartons of school milk, discarding the cardboard containers as they went, and did extensive damage to a data projector in an apparent effort to rip it off its mounting.

Mr Morrissey said the pupils had been moved to the top school until the police had finished their work and the rooms were useable again.

"Fortunately we're a big school with generous teachers who don't mind sharing spaces," he said.

"The staff here are wonderful, and everyone's pitching in."

Four of the five classes were back in their own rooms yesterday, the remaining room needing further repairs.

Meanwhile Mr Morrissey was also confident that the offenders would be identified, if not by forensic evidence then by security cameras.

"We've got a few pictures of people who were there or thereabouts, and a parent has some forward with some useful information about someone who was seen running across the bridge with a laptop."

Anyone who has any information should contact Sergeant Kevin Anderson at the Kaitaia police station, phone 408-6500.