School reaps rewards of prevention efforts

Newmarket Primary School is seeing the benefits of its involvement in the Safer Schools Programme, after School Community Officer Sergeant Deane McEntee returned a stolen computer.

Stolen during a burglary last August, the computer was one of around 450 items seized by Police in an Auckland Central Tactical Crime Unit operation the following month.

Items recovered included jewellery, laptops, cell phones, passports and driver licences.

The school’s computer had been marked with SelectaDNA as part of the Safer Schools Programme. Officers using ultra-violet light to examine the recovered goods spotted the SelectaDNA markings on the computer.

Further analysis by ESR scientists meant the computer’s owner could be identified.

Sergeant McEntee says it's extremely gratifying to be able to see how worthwhile it is for schools to go that little bit further to protect their resources.

"Since the Safer Schools Programme was launched in Auckland last year we've noted fewer schools have been burgled, which can only be good for everyone - pupils, teaching staff, parents and Police - so we encourage the use of any crime prevention initiatives that have such tangible results."