Equipment in schools has been property marked, report Merseyside Police.
Officers in Wirral with Wirral Council will be keeping a close watch on local schools in a bid to cut down on incidents of burglary, arson or criminal damage, which happen out of hours and during the Easter school holidays.
Letters were sent to residents living near schools to ask them to report anyone acting suspiciously in and around schools and their grounds. Police officers will be carrying out high visibility patrols at key times during the day and night in a bid to catch those who shouldn’t be on school premises.
Helicopter
Working alongside Neighbourhood officers on the ground, the Merseyside Police helicopter will patrol schools, which may be at risk, during its routine flights.
The helicopter is equipped with a dual-purpose camera, which can take pictures during the day and detect heat sources at night. These pictures can be beamed live to a police control room to help identify offenders. The aircraft also has a 30 million-candle power light, which can illuminate a whole school and its grounds if necessary.
Police officers are calling on members of the community to join the operation by reporting any instances of trespassing or criminal damage. Inspector Andy Wise said: "We are sending out a clear message to offenders that we will not tolerate anyone who commits crime at our schools and we are working closely with the local community to help us combat those who mistakenly think our schools are an easy target.”
"We would ask anyone who lives near to a school to be extra vigilant during the evenings and during school holidays and report anyone acting suspiciously to their nearest police station. By acting as our eyes and ears in your community we can work together to ensure that pupils don’t suffer unnecessarily at the hands of a small minority of people who seem determined to undermine the education of the young people of Wirral. All calls received will be treated in strictest confidence."
