WOODLANDS Primary, the South Manchester school which earned notoriety last year when two children fell into pit latrines there, has been broken into 10 times since November, and principal Egbert Walters is at his wit’s end.

A second school, Woodlands Basic School, which shares the same compound, is frequently set upon by thieves who entered it 15 times since September last year.

“So combined we have had 25 break-ins. It just can’t go on like this,” said the frustrated principal who noted that on most occasion, the thieves removed basic food items meant for the children.

School officials said Woodlands Primary and Basic are burgled an average five times per month, and the teachers and students were now flabbergasted.

“They have broken into the primary school 10 times since November. I have spent $41,000 on padlocks since that time. The last time they broke in was last Monday, and the Tuesday after I bought more than $7,000 worth of padlocks,” Walters complained bitterly. “The basic school has been broken into 15 times since September last year.”

Walters, in an Observer interview yesterday, recounted how he had been forced to use the schools meagre subvention allowance to buy padlocks to keep the criminals out, but to no avail.

“The children are the ones suffering, because every time we buy food for the children they steal them. They steal rice, chicken, corn beef, baked goods, ice-cream. So I believe it’s just common thieves or drug addicts who are doing this,” he said.

Woodlands Primary serves children from several communities in the rural parish, including Salmon Town, Woodlands, Cross Keys, New Broughton, Marlie Hill, Resource and Grove Town.

The school is regarded as the best primary school of four in the areas. That, however, was little consolation to principal Walters who said the situation was becoming untenable.

Detectives probing the case have released the only suspect taken in so far, and while residents have offered their help at watching, the thieves still have the upper hand.

Woman Sergeant Genese Pitter of the Cross Keys Police Station confirmed reports of the thefts, saying: “I honestly can confirm at least nine times, when the schools were broken. I can’t confirm 25 times (as) that would be before my time,” she told the Observer yesterday.

She said the CIB officer at the station continued to investigate the matter, and hoped to make a breakthrough soon.

Initially, the thieves hack-sawed their way through the roof of the buildings. However, the school has taken corrective measures, replacing, and grilling the roofs.

Now, Walters said the school would have to grill all the doors and windows, regrettably from the subvention it receives.

“I have visited the Regional office (Ministry of Education) in Mandeville and complained about the problem. But I have been advised that the ministry does not have the money to pay for watchmen, and we certainly do not have the money to pay for armed guards,” he said.

Walters said he had sought assistance of the media previously, but accused them of being only interested in the story of the children who fell into the latrines.

“As far as I am concerned, the children are in as much danger from the break-ins as they are from the pit latrines,” he said.

He was thankful, however, that the schools’ furniture had been spared so far in the break-ins.

He said there would be further plans to protect the school – which got new classrooms and home economic centre as part of a complete refurbishment just over five years ago – but declined to disclose them.