Nine schools are the target of theft per day in SP – 07/13/2023 – Daily life

Jhonny Neris de Souza found out at 7:45 am, via a WhatsApp message, that his daughter Vitória, 11, would not have classes that morning of Monday, April 10th.

Employees from the Guerra Junqueiro state school, in the Juscelino Kubitschek housing complex, in the east zone of São Paulo, informed parents and guardians about the lack of electricity due to the theft of cables and wires.

The problem lasted until the 6th of June. In these two months, the institution’s nearly 550 students were without face-to-face classes. “Teachers went out of their way to share content via WhatsApp”, says Souza.

On average, 273 cases of theft per month, or nine each day, were committed in public and private educational institutions in the state of São Paulo in the last five years. Between January 2018 and April this year, 17,508 incident reports of this type were registered.

Half of the crimes occurred in elementary schools. The remainder was in day care centers (24%), secondary education (20%) and higher education institutions (6%).

The survey was carried out by the state SSP (Secretary of Public Security) at the request of the Sheetthrough the Access to Information Law, and also shows that, after reaching a peak of 521 thefts in August 2018, the number of cases has been falling.

Among the items most mentioned as stolen, cables and wires dominate the list. In 3,063 occurrences, or 17% of the time, thieves took cables and wires. Second on the list, televisions are present in 1,676 records.

The bulletins do not accurately inform the number of objects stolen and may list in a single occurrence other items, ranging from food and drinks, money, plumbing such as faucets and pipes, personal documents, bank card, keys, shower, stairs, dish drainer , hammer, chainsaw, garbage bags and sports accessories.

The amount of subtracted foodstuffs, such as sugar, biscuits, meat, sweets, milk, juice, coffee and tea, draws attention.

“These are strong numbers. The hungry thefts [com o objetivo de saciar a fome] and yarn reflect the condition of structural poverty in society”, says Fernando Cássio, professor at UFABC (Federal University of ABC) and member of the Public School and University Network (Repu).

Experts point out that crime affects the school’s infrastructure and, therefore, interferes with the pace of learning. “A student not being able to study because the school was robbed leads to insecurity, a lack of prospects”, says educator Maria Márcia Sigrist Malavasi, a professor at Unicamp.

For Adriana de Melo Ramos, doctor in education and coordinator of the Vera Cruz Institute, crime takes away the opportunity for learning and brings a message of safety.

“These crimes cannot be trivialized. The school must bring the debate to the students and involve community leaders, representatives of local businesses to seek solutions, unite to charge councilors, secretaries of education”, he says.

The disappearance of cables and wires has more lasting consequences on the routine of institutions and leads to the suspension of classes for long periods. In the two months that the Guerra Junqueiro school was without classes, according to Jhonny Souza, most of the students were unable to follow the teachers’ instructions via WhatsApp.

“The school is located at the extreme east side, on the border with Ferraz de Vasconcelos, it is a very poor region and not all children have access to cell phones or computers while their parents are working”, says Vitória’s father.

In a note, the Seduc (State Education Department) said that “as for EE Guerra Junqueiro, after the restoration of energy, classes took place normally” and “the content not taught will be replaced from the 18th of July”.

The Tarcísio de Freitas administration portfolio (Republicans) declared that, in cases of theft and robbery, schools are victims and are oriented to install cameras connected with the Military Police, in addition to maintaining contact with regional battalions.

The SSP stated that the case at the Guerra Junqueiro school was investigated by the 44th Police District (Guaianases) and sent to court on the 5th, after the report questioned the department about the episode.

The government pointed out that, from January to May of this year, there was a 1.6% reduction in robberies in general and almost 80,000 offenders were arrested and apprehended. In the Guaianases region, he says, the drop is 16% in thefts and 29% in robberies.

In order to mitigate crimes, the SSP states that the Military Police maintain contact with the schools’ directorates, in addition to the School Patrol service and patrolling with motorcycles, vehicles and on foot.

Principals of schools heard by the Sheetanonymously, complain about the lack of surveillance, especially on weekends and early morning.

Of the 17,508 cases, 21% occurred at dawn, while another 65% were registered without a defined time – this inaccuracy usually occurs when schools are closed. Only in 142 cases, that is, less than 1%, was there a police act.

The director of a public school in the municipal network in Guaianases said that she does not have a support agent responsible for school surveillance due to the shortage of these professionals. The last contest for this role, according to the server, took place in 2002.

The capital concentrates 21% of occurrences, with 3,737 bulletins in 199 neighborhoods —most in peripheral regions such as Grajaú, Cidade Tiradentes, Capão Redondo, Itaquera and Itaim Paulista. In these five neighborhoods alone, 714 bulletins were drawn up.

In a note, the São Paulo City Hall said that the GCM (Metropolitan Civil Guard) reinforced the School Ronda by 50% in April, with more than 32 vehicles, totaling 96 vehicles.

“The city hall regrets that spaces that should serve the community, intended for coexistence, education and training of students, have been victims of theft”, says the Municipal Secretary of Education.

Regarding the complaint about the lack of a support agent, the Ricardo Nunes (MDB) management portfolio says that the career was extinguished in 2021, being classified as an operational support assistant. In this new function, according to a note from the city hall, the professional performs support activities.

“The attributions of patrolling and security of the school community are the responsibility of the Military Police and the Metropolitan Civil Guard”, says the Nunes administration.