School Robberies Prompt Calls for Unity and Vigilance

The frequency in which schools are being robbed seems to be increasing. The latest incident is the La Brea RC which was targeted last weekend. Prior to this, Todd’s Road RC was broken into on Saturday, October 21 and the Caparo RC some time on Friday, October 6.

No one was on the compound of the La Brea RC, but it was later revealed that on Sunday, November 5, after 2 a.m. two men got into the school by removing a louvre and entered a classroom on the ground floor. They ransacked desks and cupboards in classrooms. An office door was found prised open.

The school’s administration prepared an inventory of stolen items for the police, it includes a desk fan, laptop, and school supplies. A report was made to the La Brea Police Station and an officer went to the school. Photographs of the scene and fingerprints were to be collected at the school.

A media report stated the Montrose Vedic Primary school was also robbed on the same day with $2,000 in cash taken and the school’s camera system.

At Todd’s Road RC, armed bandits gained entry to the school compound through a fence at the back. They were seen by a male National Maintenance Training and Security Company (MTS) security officer who was accosted and keys in his possession seized. He was taken to a washroom at the back of the building where he was left bound and gagged.

The bandits damaged the door of the school’s cafeteria to enter and search the area. They proceeded to the entrance of the school and broke into the principal’s office which was also searched and left in a mess.

The bandits stole the security guard’s vehicle. The principal was notified by another MTS officer who assumed duty and a report made to the police. A school official forwarded video evidence of the intrusion and damage. The perpetrators took a sum of cash and electronic items. The guard’s stolen vehicle was subsequently found.

A security guard reporting for duty at the Caparo RC School, Brasso Road after 6 a.m. on October 7 found the school was burgled.

The person/s unknown entered the compound by climbing over a fence and forcing the door of the school’s cafeteria where they stole snacks and coins. They broke a glass partition in a door where the principal’s office is located. An outer office was ransacked, and drawers and a cupboard forced open. Some money and a government-issued laptop were stolen. The Gran Couva Police Station conducted investigations.

There was a break-in at the Cunupia Secondary on Sunday, September 17 in which the intruders shot at a security guard. According to the Trinidad Guardian report, among the items stolen were the keys to classrooms.

Contacted about the latest incident Chief Executive Officer of the Catholic Education Board of Management Sharon Mangroo said it is disheartening for persons to take resources that are to be used to create a better future for youth. “Despite this challenge, I encourage teachers and principals to persevere in their service to our country and the younger generation,” she told The Catholic News.

She suggested principals seek advice on practical steps to minimise the risk of theft from their schools from the police in their area. Mangroo also recommended the engagement of the wider community around the school to “walk together in the interest of developing our greatest asset, our children”.