The theft of staff members’ personal belongings at Allen Glen High School has been thrust into sharp focus.
A concerned resident close to a teacher at the school spilled the beans about the alleged theft issue. The complainant is convinced that the authorities are turning a blind eye on the problem.
The complainant, whose name is known to Northsider, accused the learners of stealing their educators’ gadgets in class.
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In a letter sent to Northsider, the complainant indicated that incidents of theft have been on-going at the school.
“A teacher had her Samsung cellphone stolen in May this year. Another teacher had his laptop stolen last month,” the complainant stated.
The complainant further explained that a few weeks ago, the teacher whose cellphone was stolen, had a whole laptop bag stolen, inclusive of a laptop as well as a Samsung tablet.
It is understood that the items are stolen from teachers’ desks.
“Suspects’ names are being bandied around as a theft syndicate of learners,” the complainant shared, adding that cases have been logged at Honeydew Police Station.
The school governing body chairman, Warren Mackrill, responded to the allegations, saying that the school was aware of the matter.
He said, however, that the school cannot cover the victims’ lost items. “If it’s school property [that goes missing], we have insurance. [This] was private property,” he said.
Mackrill also indicated that the police have been made aware of the problem and the school has advised the victim/s to press charges, and also told the teachers not to leave their personal items unattended. He also explained that the school does not encourage the learners to steal.
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Honeydew Police spokesperson, Captain Balan Muthan, said this was a school problem, and therefore the school has to take action against its learners.
Details: Honeydew Police Station on 011 801 8400.
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