High cost of vandalism | Northern Rivers News | Local News in Northern Rivers

Terry Deefholts | 21st July 2009

South Grafton High is getting a new security fence after it was revealed that almost $244,000 damage had been done to the school by vandals over the past two years.

Daily Examiner

GRAFTON plumber Keith Atkins was disgusted by the vandalism, criminal activity and racism he witnessed at South Grafton High School last week.

Mr Atkins said he saw a group of about six '12 and 13-year-olds' trying to break into a maths block classroom with a screwdriver shortly before 9am last Monday.

He and some fellow tradesmen gave chase, but the youngsters ran across the road and sat in the park yelling out racist insults such as 'white dogs' to their pursuers.

Mr Atkins said the police were first called to the school about 9am, followed by two other calls, but they did not arrive on the scene until 3pm.

“The kids came back to the school at least three other times and yelled out at us ... just to let us know they were there,” he said.

Mr Atkins believes police are reluctant to act in such situations because the likelihood of convictions and adequate punishment for such cases is small.

Mr Atkins said a colleague told him the same group broke into cooking classrooms the previous weekend and stole food before lighting a fire in the garden.

“On the weekend I got told the neighbours have given up calling the police because the noise coming from the school is so common,” he said.

“There are always broken windows and other damage.

“Last term they broke into the library twice and pinched two digital projectors - I remember one of them was taken the day before the second State of Origin.”

Mr Atkins said he was hoping the new security fence being erected around South Grafton High School would put an end to the destruction.

A Department of Education and Training (DET) spokesperson said the school's fence was expected to be completed by August.

Chief Inspector Darren Spooner of the Grafton Police said records showed police were first called to the incident at noon and officers were on the scene at 2.50pm.

Insp Spooner said there were two police cars on patrol on the day but one was attending a domestic dispute in the Pillar Valley at the time of the call and the officers from the other car were tied up with court matters.

“There wouldn't be a commander in the state who wouldn't be able to use another 20 officers,” he said.

Insp Spooner denied there was any reluctance from police to act on matters where the offenders were juvenile or Aboriginal.

“Our job is to put someone before the magistrate with evidence to present a case,” he said. “What happens after that is a matter for the justice system.”

The DET released figures yesterday showing South Grafton High had suffered almost $244,000 damage over the past two years, compared with $16,200 at Grafton High and $17,500 at Maclean High over the same period.

Grafton High............. $16,200

Maclean High............ $17,500

South Grafton High.. $243,698

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