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Canberra Today 26°/28° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Fences halve school crime, says Burch

 

Fencing at Hughes Primary School... bigger and more dramatic than fences around a series of relatively new embassies in nearby Deakin – where a genuine security risk exists.
Fencing at Hughes Primary School.
SECURITY fences erected at ACT Government schools have helped to halve the incidence and cost of vandalism over the past three years, says ACT Education Minister. 

The cost of vandalism-related property damage reduced from $606,668 to $282,684 between 2009 and 2012, according to figures from the Education and Training Directorate. The number of reported incidents at Government schools also dropped from 300 to 147.

“These results show that the installation of school fences, combined with a focus of working with the community and police during school holiday periods, have had a significant impact on reducing vandalism at our schools,” Ms Burch said.

“This downward trend continued through both the January and April 2013 school holiday periods when schools can be prone to vandalism.”

There are 56 ACT public schools with security fences. Security fencing is only installed with the approval of the school community. New security fencing is being installed at two more schools this year, and two schools with existing fences are adding additional fencing.

 

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