Mobile Phone Thefts (Hansard, 5 March 2002)

§ Mrs. Brooke
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria are used by school252W authorities in determining whether to report offences involving the theft of mobile phones to the police. [40007]

§ Mr. Ivan Lewis
The DfES is concerned for the safety and security of school pupils and staff, and in 1997 issued guidance on school security jointly with the Home Office. This guidance, "School Security: Dealing with Troublemakers", deals with incidents, including thefts, that occur on school premises, and advises schools and local education authorities that offences of theft need to be reported to the police. The guidance does not preclude a pupil or parent reporting any such offence independently.
Where a school's insurer lays down terms and conditions for the reporting of theft, we expect a school to meet them.
However, we recognise that school pupils are vulnerable to theft on the way to and from school. If a mobile phone is stolen in such circumstances, it is then a matter for the victim and their parents to report it to the police. They may also wish to inform the school so that the head teacher and local education authority may be able to see if any pattern of crime is arising, and to consider the need for advising pupils and their parents of any consequent action.

§ Mrs. Brooke
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases involving the theft of mobile phones were dealt with by school authorities, without the involvement of the police, in the last two years. [40011]

§ Mr. Ivan Lewis
We do not collect these figures, nor would it be economic to request them from schools or local education authorities.
The reporting of criminal incidents to the police is the responsibility of the head teacher of a school. Guidance was issued to head teachers in 1997 by the then Department for Education and Employment, jointly with the Home Office. This guidance, "School Security: Dealing with Troublemakers", advised schools and local education authorities that offences of theft need to be reported to the police.
The procedure by which such offences are reported should be determined by discussion between schools and the police. In the case of the schools which they maintain, local education authorities also have a key role in monitoring overall security policies. But the primary responsibility for planning a school's security arrangements rests with the governing body of the school.