School staff are being warned to take extra security measures after a spate of thefts at Bradford schools led to lessons being disrupted.

The problem has led to a Crime Reduction Officer issuing a warning on Bradford Council’s education website about how to keep educational facilities safe.

The main items being stolen are overhead projectors and laptops with “many educational premises sustaining high levels of crime in relation to IT equipment”, police warn.

It is not known which schools have been affected or how many thefts have occurred recently, but Inspector Jonathan Pickles, of the Bradford Safer Schools Partnership, said: “During recent weeks we have seen issues where doors or windows have been left open and insecure, subsequently giving rise to the number of offences where such items have been stolen, causing minor disruption to the curriculum.

“Many schools now contain high-value items such as light-weight laptop computers and mobile phones.

“Some devices will inevitably be left insecure within the school environment and can become a target for opportunist thieves.

“As we now move into the winter months, we want to ensure that this trend does not continue which is why we have taken further steps on our websites and in school literature to inform both students and teachers of crime prevention measures.”

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