THERE has been outrage at the mindless vandals who caused $30,000 damage at the Phoenix P-12 Community College on Tuesday morning.
College principals, police and community leaders have widely condemned the actions of a group of youths that smashed
Police are still hunt on the hunt for the culprits, who used rocks and slingshots to break 88 windows at the school in the space of two hours.
CLICK HERE FOR CCTV FOOTAGE OF THE YOUTHS WANTED
College principal Scott Dellar said the fact there was no motive for the vandals to cause the damage and the fact they were actually hurting the entire community was the most disappointing aspect of the damage.
He said video footage had determined the offenders, believed to aged around 15, were not students at the school.
“It seems it was just based on vandalism with no motives involved,” Mr Dellar said.
“When you walk in and see damage it makes you really disappointed to know people have done it just for the sake of it.”
Despite school holidays, students, staff and parents spent the last two days at the college helping in the repair works.
Mr Dellar said he had applied for funding to help repair the damage, but the school still stood to be forced to dig into its own pockets.
Ballarat Police Inspector Bruce Thomas sent out a strong warning to the youths, saying police would go to long lengths to catch such offenders.
“These people just don’t realise how much impact these things on the community which they are a part of,” he said.
“Police will come down strongly on these mindless acts.”
The damage at the Sebastopol school joins a list of recent damage done to school property, particularly at Ballarat Specialist School.
Specialist school principal John Burt hearing argued for tougher penalties on those who were caught, while Ballarat City Councillor Des Hudson called on other young people to make a stand.
“It makes me sick, it’s everywhere we look. You just wonder why they do it,” said Mr Burt.
Cr Hudson, who chairs the Ballarat Community Safety Committee, said the actions of a few young people were unfortunately damaging the reputation of the remainder.
Anybody with information relating to the damage is asked to contact the Ballarat Criminal Investigation Unit on 5336 6080.