School safe blasted open

The St Marks Community School in Framesby was targeted by robbers who used explosives to blow open the office safe on Thursday morning.

At about 7.30am, police cordoned off the school entrance along Cape Road while the explosives unit and trained dogs searched the building for a secondary device.

Police have called the burglary professional with the alarms bypassed and the roof sheeting cut open.

The discovery came when office workers arrived at the school at about 6.30am.

By 8.30am, all the pupils were gathered on the school field and police had found no secondary explosive devices inside the office block.

Police spokesperson Captain Johan Rheeder said the incident happened sometime between 8pm on Wednesday and early on Thursday.

“The last staff member left at 8pm and all was in order and the doors locked,” he said.

“At about 6.30am, one of the staff members opened the front door to the office block and smelt something burning. “The police were notified. “So far, what we have established is that the burglars gained entry to the school premises by cutting the perimeter fence,” Rheeder said.

“Once inside the school premises, the burglars climbed onto the roof and cut through the sheeting.”

Once inside the ceiling, they climbed into the building and ripped the alarm system out of the wall.

“They then forced open a door and gained entry to the room which holds the safe.”

The K9 unit’s explosive detection dog was used to comb the building for other suspicious devices or unused explosives.

“The school has been cleared by the explosive unit and the K9 unit. It is safe.”

Rheeder confirmed that commercial explosives had been used to force open the safe door.

“The only thing stolen at this stage that can be seen is money from the safe,” he said.

At about 9am, parents of high school pupils were told to fetch their children if possible.

The primary school carried on as a usual.

The extent of the damage will be known only once police complete their work.