Fears of spike in vandalism at Waringstown Primary School as PSNI launch special 'watch scheme'

As the summer months loom and schools shut, the PSNI and Waringstown Primary School staff fear the worst plus the budget to repair damage caused by these vandals has diminished considerably.

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This week Banbridge Neighbourhood Policing Team in conjunction with the PCSP officially launched the Waringstown Primary School School Watch scheme.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Over the past few months, Waringstown Primary School has been spending much needed money of their ever decreasing budget repairing or replacing damaged or stolen property – valuable resources which should be used to educate our children are being diverted to combat vandalism. The damage has been getting worse recently and we fear that as the school term comes to a close, the situation is only going to escalate over the summer months.

"The school grounds are private property and I would ask that you would report all trespassers climbing fences, climbing on roofs etc immediately to police. We are asking parents to speak with their children and tell them that they are not allowed in the grounds of the school after hours. Young people are not simply playing football there – they are climbing on the roof, breaking windows and committing other acts of mindless destruction. This behaviour needs to stop.

"You can report any suspicious behaviour online at https://crowd.in/P5Uxhs, by calling 101 or in an emergency by dialling 999.”