MARGAO: Parents are growing increasingly concerned about the security of schools in South Goa, as a spate of robberies has targeted educational institutions in the district. The thefts have not been limited to a specific area, with schools in Salcete, Canacona, and Ponda all falling victim to burglaries in recent weeks.
One alarming incident involved robbers making off with Rs 2.50 lakh from Matoshree Baburao Khandeparkar High School in Khandepar, marking the sixth such incident in the area. Another school, St Jude’s High School in Betalbatim, faced losses of CCTV equipment and Rs 70,000 in the same week. Similar thefts have been reported at Regina Martyrum High School in Assolna, Fr Basilio Andrade Memorial Higher Secondary School in Majorda, S S Angle Higher Secondary School in Mashem, and Shri Shradhanand Vidyalaya School in Poinguinim.
Managements of the affected schools stated that they have been in touch with the police who are carrying out the investigations.
However, despite ongoing investigations by the South Goa police, there have been no breakthroughs in identifying and apprehending the culprits. The lack of progress has worried parents, who are calling for increased efforts to safeguard schools from such incidents.
A particularly troubling aspect is that in some instances, the thieves targeted and stole CCTV systems. This is significant because the police typically advise schools to ensure the functionality of their CCTV systems for security purposes.
In other places, locals have also pointed out to the non-functioning police outposts that are located in the vicinity of the schools like the one in Assolna.
“There are two things to look at here. The first is that these incidents show that schools are not safe and there are criminal gangs who feel these educational institutes are easy prey and they can get away with it. The second, is what it says about the security of the villages in which these schools are located. These are brazen thefts and a deterrent has to be set,” said Rosario Silva, a concerned parent from Salcete whose child goes to one of the schools that were robbed.
Some of the suggestions the parents want the police to implement is to increase patrolling at night around the schools, act on any suspicious movements or activities near the school and to also ensure that the investigation is taken to its logical end so that the culprits are nabbed and the goods stolen are recovered.
