Values

Values are deeply held beliefs about what is important or desirable. They are expressed through the ways in which people think and act.  Every decision relating to curriculum and every interaction that takes place in a school reflects the values of the individuals involved and the collective values of the institution.

(The New Zealand Curriculum, p. 10)

The key values from The New Zealand Curriculum promoted through Burglary Free are:

• community and participation for the common good
• integrity, which involves being honest, responsible, and accountable and acting ethically
• to respect themselves, others, and human rights. (p. 10)

Through learning experiences in Burglary Free students will learn about:

• their own values and those of others
• different kinds of values, such as moral, social, cultural, aesthetic, and economic values
• the values on which New Zealand’s cultural and institutional traditions are based. (p. 10)

Through learning experiences in Burglary Free students will develop their ability to:

• express their own values
• explore, with empathy, the values of others
• discuss disagreements that arise from differences in values and negotiate solutions
• make ethical decisions and act on them. (p. 10)

Key competencies

People use the key competencies to live, learn, work, and contribute as active members of their communities … Opportunities to develop the competencies occur in social contexts. People adopt and adapt practices that they see used and valued by those closest to them, and they make these practices part of their own identity and expertise.

(The New Zealand Curriculum, p. 12)

The key competencies from The New Zealand Curriculum that are most obviously promoted through Burglary Free are:

• Managing self: “Students who manage themselves are enterprising, resourceful, reliable, and resilient”
• Relating to others: “This competency includes the ability to listen actively, recognise different points of view, negotiate, and share ideas. Students who relate well to others ... are aware of how their words and actions affect others”
• Participating and contributing: “This competency is about being actively involved in communities. Communities include family, whānau, and school and those based, for example, on a common interest or culture.  Students who participate and contribute in communities have a sense of belonging and the confidence to participate within new contexts. They understand the importance of balancing rights, roles, and responsibilities and of contributing to the quality and sustainability of social, cultural, physical, and economic environments."

Establishing a supportive learning environment

Participating in Burglary Free both positively influences the class and school environment and is positively influenced by a supportive learning environment.

Learning is inseparable from its social and cultural context. Students learn best when they feel accepted, when they enjoy positive relationships with their fellow students and teachers, and when they are able to be active, visible members of the learning community. Effective teachers foster positive relationships within environments that are caring, inclusive, non-discriminatory, and cohesive. They also build good relationships with the wider school community, working with parents and caregivers as key partners who have unique knowledge of their children and countless opportunities to advance their children’s learning.

(The New Zealand Curriculum, p.34)

Reflective checklist for teachers

View a reflective checklist (PDF, 26KB) as a tool to help teachers consider the extent to which they model, praise and reinforce positive behaviours with their students. A principal may also choose to use the checklist as a base for discussion about values at a staff meeting.

Burglary prevention tips

Locks, bolts and security devices

• Lock your car and your garage.
• Keep the doors locked, even when you are at home.
• Keep your spare key in a safe place. Burglars know all the usual places.
• Generally, the more expensive the lock, the more effective it will be.
• Consider installing burglar alarms.
• Sensor lights act as a deterrent.

Recording details of valuables

• Record the serial numbers of your possessions and keep the record in a safe place. 
• Keep valuables in a safe place, such as a safe or at the bank.

Reporting crime

• Report any suspicious activity you see to the Police.
• Always report a break-in.
• If your house gets burgled, leave things as they are until the Police have been.
• If you come home and you notice an intruder in your house, go and ring the Police. Do not enter the house.
• If you are at home and you notice an intruder in your house, endeavour to leave the house without alerting the intruder and ring the Police. Do not reenter the house. If you can 't leave without alerting the intruder: keep calm,  dont block their exit, and try to memorise what they look like.

Other crime prevention tips

• Make your house looked lived in while you are away.
• Most burglars are opportunists. Don’t leave your keys, wallet, purse or credit cards in obvious places or near windows.
• Work out an emergency exit plan with your family.
• The Fire Service can give you help on emergency exit plans and installing smoke alarms.
• Keep tools and ladders locked away when not in use.
• Ensure your house visible from the road.
• Keep trees and shrubs near windows trimmed back.
• Check that your insurance policy is up to date.

Receiving stolen property

Receiving stolen goods is a crime. People who receive or buy stolen goods can be arrested.

A person becomes involved in receiving when they take possession of any property that they think has been stolen or illegally obtained.

Some indications that goods may be stolen include:

• serial numbers or distinguishing marks have been removed or defaced
• goods are being sold at well below market prices
• goods are being sold in unusual places, such as hotels or flea markets
• the seller doesn’t give their name and/or won’t give a receipt
• the seller can’t or won’t give any information about when or where they bought the property, or how much they paid.

A parent/community meeting

It is sometimes hard to get large numbers of people to a community meeting however this is an effective way of sharing information with a large group of people. The burglary topic should in itself be a draw-card, and other enticements could be added to the programme. Follow these steps for a successful meeting.

Form a committee

The meeting should not be the responsibility of the school alone. The organising committee should be a small group made up of people such as the School Community Officer, community constable or other police officer, a school representative, a member of the Board of Trustees, and a representative from the Safer Community Council.

The committee makes decisions

Consider:

• the date of the meeting – it could be before, during or after the students have started lessons about burglary
• time – what time suits most people
• venue
• child care
• invitations – who will be invited and how this will be done
• publicity – this should be before and after the event, to ensure that as many people as possible in the community receive the important messages
• special guests and speakers – this could include the Area Controller, detectives, Victim Support, Neighbourhood or Rural Support, security firms, locksmiths, local government representatives
• role of students – they could demonstrate work they have done as part of Road Safe, such as role plays, art work, brochures or posters
• support – local firms and businesses may wish to support this initiative – for example, insurance companies might provide free marking pens and security firms could offer special deals on security equipment
• agenda –plan a programme that is entertaining, informative, provides for interaction and questioning, and is not too long!

Sample agenda

5.00 pm - Teacher–student netball game

5.45 pm - Sausage sizzle –display of students’ Burglary Free material

6.30 pm - Welcome by the principal

6.45 pm - Presentation of local burglary statistics by Police staff

7.15 pm - Group discussion and formulation of questions on burglary for panel

7.45 pm - Students role play from Burglary Free

8.00 pm - School Community Officer discusses the classroom component of Burglary Free

8.30 pm - Panel of invited guests (Police, Neighbourhood Support, local council, Victim Support, Community Patrols, and security firms) to answer audience questions

9.15 pm - Cup of tea and personal questioning time

Note: Victim Support is an important participant, particularly in areas where there has been a lot of repeat victimisation and people are fearful of repeat burglaries.

Here schools will find ideas to help them focus their community’s attention on preventing and reducing burglary. Schools will choose strategies that meet their needs, as well as the needs of their community.

School security

• Adopt a zero-tolerance attitude to burglary and related crimes.
• Model effective security for your parents and students.
• Encourage students to name their property and keep it in safe places.
• Encourage students to respect property belonging to other students.
• Advise the community of guidelines for the safe use of the school grounds in out-of-school time.
• Establish good relationships with neighbours who can report problems during out-of-school times.
• Consider setting up parental patrols in the school grounds.
• Set up a Neighbourhood Support Group around the school.

Visitors

• Write a policy or management statement about visitors to the school. We suggest:
  • requiring visitors to report to the office and sign the Visitor’s Book with their name, the date and time, their contact details and the reason for their visit.
  • giving visitors a visitor identification card
  • requiring visitors to sign out when leaving and return the visitor identification card.
• Make children and parents aware of the policy.
• Students should know that visitors wear a visitor identification card and should report to the office or a teacher f they see a no-staff adult without one.
• Network with neighbouring schools to inform (by fax or phone) each other of suspicious people or activity in or near the school grounds.
• Official visitors expected for the day should be listed in the staff room. Ensure staff are introduced to them.

School environment safety check

• Have an emergency phone line in each classroom/syndicate.
• Install sensor lighting.
• Install burglar alarms, have security firm checks at night, and display security stickers.
• Enlist the support of local Neighbourhood (or Junior/Kids) Support Groups.
• Appoint a person to check that all doors and windows are closed each day.
• Teachers working late should bring their cars as close as possible to the exit.
• Doors should be locked when someone is in the school after hours.
• Keep buildings clear of trees and shrubs.

Communicate with your school community

• Invite local Police to write an article for the school newsletter or website to increase awareness of burglaries.
• Regularly include burglary prevention tips. Choose ones that are suitable for your community. Some suggestions are provided in Strategies for the community.

Keeping school property safe

Complete the School Property Checklist (PDF, 19KB) to assess how safe your school property is.

Keep students occupied

Carry out a needs assessment of your students to find out which students:

• go home to an empty house
• have shown a tendency to take things or have been in trouble with Police.

This information would need to be kept strictly confidential.

All of these students are at risk. The school, with help from the community, can take measures to ensure that students are supervised/assisted until parents return home.

You may like to consider:

• helping students find out about clubs or groups out of school hours
• setting up an after-school library or care group (local church groups or community councils may help with staffing and funding)
• setting up a homework club
• working with local youth workers to set up holiday programmes
• offering sports activities after school
• having a range of activities available during lunch and break times.

The school would need to consider how students will get safely home after these activities.

Supporting victims of burglary

Burglary research identifies a phenomenon called ‘repeat victimisation’ in which the same person, place or property is subjected to a subsequent crime within a certain time period (for example, within the last 12 months). Studies have found that, once a house has been burgled, its chance of being burgled again is four times the rate of houses that have not been burgled previously. Over half of repeat burglaries occur within seven days of the earlier burglary.

The school has an opportunity to support children whose homes have been burgled. To assist this process, schools should consider how they could obtain information from parents about burglaries, and how they could provide support for children during school hours, if needed.

There are many reasons why people might not report burglaries to local Police. They might not have insurance, the value of stolen property might be small, and in some cases the ‘burglar’ might not have gained entry into the home. Schools should encourage their communities to report all crimes and suspicious behaviour, as this enables Police to establish patterns of burglary and other criminal activity within the community.

Schools could support victims of burglary by:

• making them known to the school social worker (if your school does not have a social worker, consider appointing one)
• ensuring the family is aware of Victim Support, which operates 24 hours a day and can be contacted through the police station
• providing an older student or buddy to support the student at school
• being aware that the student may be traumatised, and dealing with this sensitively
• encouraging families to advise the school of any burglary attempts.

A student may disclose knowledge of a burglary while at school. This should be dealt with in line with school policy.