Advice to pupils following spate of thefts from school

reported that an iPod, money and make-up had been taken from a bag inside the female changing rooms and parents have used Facebook to warn others about items which have allegedly been stolen.

One parent posted an appeal for the return of her daughter’s purse which was taken while she was in a dance class last week. It was returned later but without money inside.

The father of a third year pupil told the Oban Times he is worried after seeing the Facebook posts and his daughter had money taken from her bag twice in two days. He said: ‘It’s not nice to know there’s people like that around your kids, especially at school.

‘ You can’t help but think it’s going to get worse as they get older because if get away with stealing £20 they’ll do it more and more until they’re stealing from shops.’

Mr Sutherland said there can be more than 1,000 people in the building every day and encouraged pupils to keep their property safe.

He said: ‘Money and valuables should be kept on your person or secure in a locker.

‘During PE, pupils have the option to give anything valuable to a teacher for safekeeping.

‘Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is honest and, with so many people in the building at once, it can be difficult to track down the people behind thefts, although we have had success in the past.’

Mr Sutherland said some incidents have been reported to him but others were only brought to his attention by the Oban Times: ‘If someone has lost something or suspects it has been stolen parents should feel free to contact me directly. If something has been taken we should be made aware of it because we can’t investigate or retrieve it if we don’t know it has happened.’

Lochaber area inspector, Donald Campbell, confirmed two incidents have been reported to police since the new term started in August.

He said: ‘The school will have a policy about what to bring to school and how to keep it safe, but my advice would be to make sure any valuable items are either secure or on your person at all times.’