SEEING RED: Fairburn School pupils Talau Mamae, 9, and Pauline Langi, 8, want the people who burgled and vandalised their school multiple times caught.
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An Otahuhu school was burgled three times during the school holidays - one of 22 looted in South Auckland over the period.
Thieves stole 14 laptops from Fairburn School, smashed through doors and tagged classrooms.
Although the school is insured, it will still lose about $25,000 from the crime spree, deputy principal Maureen Woodard said.
"That means for our kids the money that we would have put into activities for children, sports equipment or shows has to go into the damage that has been done," she said.
"There's also the cost of time spent on the insurance claim and added stress and suffering on the school's families.
''They are upset about it.''
Pupil Talau Mamae, 9, said the students felt ''hurt and angry'' by the break-ins and vandalism.
''The people who did it caused horrible damage to our school by tagging the walls and smashing the computers,'' she said.
''They also stole teachers' laptops and cellphones.
''I think the people who did this are selfish and cruel because they didn't think about us before they did it.''
Pauline Langi, 8, echoed those sentiments.
''This made me feel very angry and very sorry for the school because there are no more computers and the students can't use the ICT suite.''
The girls are appealing to the South Auckland community to turn in the thieves.
''If you know who did this, could you please call the police - or call our school,'' Langi said.
Twenty two schools were burgled across the Counties-Manukau area between June 29 and July 15 - twice as many as the same time last year.
In the 2010 July holiday period there were 14 and in 2009, 19.
Of this year's break-ins, 12 were in Otahuhu and Mangere where three schools - including Fairburn - were targeted three times each and one was hit twice.
Police are urging schools to log product serial numbers on the SNAP website and for people living near schools to keep a watchful eye out and alert them to any suspicious behaviour.
''Be proactive, not reactive - don't wait for offences to occur before you take action,'' a police spokeswoman said.
''We realise high-tech alarms often cost a great deal but an extra lock or two on doors and windows are just as effective at deterring would-be offenders.''
The police also encourage schools to lock removable and expensive items in cabinets and out of sight.
- © Fairfax NZ News
