Three break-ins in four days at OCS

The Ottos Comprehensive School was targeted by thieves yet again; the third time in just four days.
Foster Roberts, the principal, told OBSERVER media yesterday that the break-in was discovered by a teacher who was passing outside the school, located in Ottos.
Roberts said that he is disheartened to see that the blatant disregard for our educational institutions continue, and he deemed it an attack on our children’s future.
“This situation is untenable, and it makes it difficult for schools to operate normally, even if people say that it is just the office, so it won’t affect the children, then I say if it affects the office then it affects the operation of the school and the children. This matter has to be rectified urgently because there will be disruptions [today],” Roberts said.
Yesterday’s discovery was the most recent in a spate of break-ins at the school.
Some time between last week Wednesday night and Thursday morning, person(s) unknown broke into the school’s cafeteria. Roberts said that the operator of the small business within the school compound reported losing approximately $500 that was to be used to pay suppliers.
Then, some time between Thursday night and Friday morning, the cafeteria and secretary’s office were broken into, and that time, the thieves made off with a student’s cellphone that had been confiscated.
A locked bank bag that contained a deposit book, but no cash, was also taken.
The office door was then secured, and a welder was called in to reinforce the metal exterior door.
Nevertheless, yesterday the thieves returned and pried open the lock to the secretary’s office.
OBSERVER media was on the scene when Crime Scene Investigators gained access to the building.
They discovered that both the principal’s office, as well as the secretary’s office, had been broken into and ransacked.
Roberts said the break-ins are disruptive and he does not understand why the school is being repeatedly targeted.
“I came by on Saturday morning and everything was fine, we had security up until 3 p.m. but none in the evening, and today is Sunday and we don’t have any on the compound. This has been going on for a while where we don’t get any security after 3 p.m.,” he said.
The principal of the Ottos Comprehensive School is calling on the Ministry of Education and all involved to get on board to address the actions of thieves who continue to target schools around the island.
He divulged that the Ottos Comprehensive is not the only learning institution to have suffered at the hands of criminals, citing the Antigua Grammar, the All Saints Secondary, the Clare Hall Secondary and the Princess Margaret schools as having been similarly targeted.