Reporter: Ask Bury
Date online: 24 April 2008

BurySafe has been warning schools to check their security measures after 20 burglaries have happened within 8 weeks in schools across Bury.

Recommendations from the crime reduction partnership include:

. Adding alarms to all external doors and ground floor rooms
. Using internal grilles or bars on ground floor windows and ensure they are bolted to masonry or brickwork
. Locking all internal doors and consider installing five lever mortise locks and Birmingham or London bars to framework
. Checking areas for potential climbing and consider using razor wire or anti climb paint as a deterrent.
. Considering a mail drop to residents overlooking the school asking for them to be vigilant and contact the police if they see anything suspicious.

Property stolen includes laptops, computers, projectors, cameras and other small electrical items.

Gaynor Mason Crime Reduction Adviser offers this advice to schools: "As well as securing entry points to school buildings, we would also advise schools to boldly mark their property as anything that is visibly marked with the school name will be much harder to sell on in the second hand market.

It is also worth locking all small valuable items away in cabinets or internal stock rooms, preferably in areas where there is an alarm system. Bolt down projectors and interactive whiteboards".