MORE than 45 schools are burgled or vandalised in the region every week, according to new figures.

In the past two years, Durham, Cleveland and North Yorkshire police forces have dealt with about 5,000 incidents of criminal damage and theft at schools - at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds that could have been spent on pupils.

But headteachers and local education authorities (LEAs) have hit back, saying they are starting to win the war on yobs and thieves.

The latest figures from police forces show the number of reported school crimes fell by a fifth in the year ending in April.

But the police and LEAs warned many incidents went unreported because they were too minor to claim on insurance.

"Schools bear the cost of vandalism and theft either way. If they claim on insurance, premiums and excess charges go up," said Keith Taylor, headteacher of Escomb Primary School, in County Durham.

Schools are frequently targeted by criminals because they are large, exposed sites, empty over the weekends and during holidays and full of expensive equipment.

Hurworth School Maths and Computing College, near Darlington, was badly hit in February and March.

Headteacher Dean Judson said: "This is a big site and it's accessible, and it costs us hundreds of pounds each time somebody smashes a window.

"It is a cost whether we go through the insurance or not.

"We have now put in new security lights, which are on during the night, and are reviewing other security measures, but the cost of that will have to come out of our budget, which means it is not being spent on education.

"But at the moment we are waiting because the number of incidents seems to have died down a bit."

The improving picture is not mirrored across the whole region.

There was a significant increase in criminal damage at Darlington schools last year and insurance claims rose by more than 50 per cent.

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said there had been 60 claims for a total of £110,000-worth of school property.

"We are trying to be pro- active and work with police to reduce the risk to schools by revising intruder systems, and putting CCTV cameras in some schools," he said.

Insurance claims from schools in Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council doubled last year.

In 2003-2004, schools claimed £10,500, in 2004-2005 this had jumped to £22,823.

A council spokesman said: "These are just the incidents which are reported to us. There is an ongoing programme to put up 6ft security fences at schools."

In County Durham, more than 1,500 incidents of theft and criminal damage were reported to police last year.

In North Yorkshire, there were also more than 1,500 incidents while in Cleveland the figure was more than 1,700.

However, all the forces said the number of incidents reported had decreased from 2003-2004 to 2004-2005.

In Hartlepool, there has been a 70 per cent reduction in insurance claims over the past three years.

In 2002-2003 schools claimed £76,500, but in the year ending March, it was £25,000.

A spokesman said: "We have put a lot of time, effort and money into things like perimeter fencing. The strategy is obviously starting to bear fruit."

Mr Taylor, of Escomb primary, said people living near schools could have big impact on reducing anti-social behaviour at sites after hours.

"Good neighbours make a heck of a difference, they can let schools know if there is an issue and be observant," he said.

Winning the war - Page 12