With the official launch of the University of the West Indies (UWI) fourth landed campus scheduled for tomorrow, the Five Islands community has become the center of one of the biggest national achievements in the history of Antigua and Barbuda.
However, the buildup to this momentous occasion is not so pleasant for another learning institution located next door to the campus – the Five Islands Primary School – which was broken into and vandalized some time between Thursday night and early Friday morning.
The public was made aware of the crime by a post on the school’s official Facebook page which read: “The school’s main office was all prepared to receive the students and this is what happened on Thursday night. The police are investigating.”
The post further urged the public to “be on the lookout for suspected thieves selling electronic items.”
OBSERVER media has since learned that the forced entry into the principal’s office was made via the eastern side, and the discovery was made about 7:30am by a security guard upon arrival for duty.
The report to the Gray’s Farm Police Station was made about four hours later and so far, it has not been determined what, if anything, was stolen.
Principal of the Five Islands Primary School, Sandy Lewis said that she would not make any statement to the media before she had submitted a report, as is required, to the Ministry of Education on Monday.
She explained that she had made a disclosure of the incident on her Facebook page only so that persons in the community who may have seen something could provide the information to assist police with their investigations.
Meanwhile, OBSERVER media was reliably informed of another school break-in where items were confirmed to be missing.
Temple Academy, located on Grays Crescent in Gray’s Farm, was found burglarized about 8am Saturday morning.
The intruders obtained entry by forcing their way through a metal door on the eastern side of the premises and then proceeded to ransack the entire building. They reportedly stole two cell phones, each valued at $200.
Anyone who has information about the break-ins is asked to contact the Grays Farm Police Station at 462-0481.