Administrators of Salt Savannah Primary and Infant School are at their wits’ end as thieves continue to prey one the small south Clarendon-based institution.

In the last month the thieves have raided the school at least five times, the most recent being last weekend when they broke into the canteen.

Chairperson of the school board Alminda Bent told the Jamaica Observer that the students have been badly affected by the theft of well needed items.

“When we came Monday morning we saw that they had been in the canteen. They took rice, flour, macaroni and cheese, chicken, tin mackerel, milk, milo and a lot of other food stuff that we had in there to prepare for the students,” said Bent.

She said the thieves gained entry into the building from the roof.

“They took out a mesh out of a part in the ceiling, braced the metal and go across into the canteen. I don’t think it was anybody big because the space is not big and it couldn’t be one person either because one person couldn’t carry so many things. To come out they cut the mesh at the serving window at the canteen and exited the building,” Bent explained.

“When we came and saw the place we were disheartened, we felt very bad about it because the school is here in the community to help the children and those who took the things are trying to deprive them of what they are supposed to have.

“Several times leading up to last week vandals came in. When we came this morning [Monday], we see where they put a match stick into the key hole on the lock and light it. I heard if they do that it can blow the lock open, I don’t know if it’s true but they say they see it on TikTok. The lock is still there with marks on it” added Bent.

The principal’s office has not been spared as the thieves gained entry to the room searching for valuables.

“I don’t know if they found what they wanted but they ransacked the office. Then went into the infant classroom and took out some money the teacher had in there. They went into another classroom and took off the door of the cupboard searching up the place,” a frustrated Bent said.

In addition to the school, several homes in the Salt Spring community have also been targeted by the thieves, including the house of the school’s chairperson.

“They break into my home Friday night. They prised the grill and broke in, searched up the place but they didn’t get anything. Three of us were home. We called the police and a last night the police [came three days later] after we called town to say thieves break into the house and nobody not paying us any mind,” said Bent.

She charged that the police have been doing very little to stop the constant vandalism of the premises and the theft of items.”

“The two times we reported it they just come, ask what happened and then leave, no fingerprinting, no investigation, they just leave and we don’t hear back from them since,” charged Bent.

An elderly man, who lives close to the school, returned from church on Sunday and found his door kicked in and his food missing.

Shane Isaacs, watchman for the school, said his house was broken into sometime in February.

“Nobody was at home because my son was at school and I went to the doctor and when mi come back mi see the back door open and my room door open and when mi look in the drawer where I had some money, mi realise say it gone; over $70,000 gone,” said Isaacs.

“Me report it to the police and crime scene [people] come and they do what them doing and that was it,” added Isaacs, who pointed out that he has not received an update from the police since then.

Bent said there are only two watchmen who work on eight-hour shifts, and he is appealing for at least one more watchman, a closed circuit television system and additional security systems.

According to Bent, a report about the constant break-ins has been sent to the Ministry of Education and an officer visited the school.

In the meantime, the school continues to operate with the 254 students and 10 teachers who say they are fearful.

Efforts to get the a comment from the Lionel Town police, who cover the Salt Spring community, were unsuccessful up to press time.