Oberhausen (dpa / lnw) - For several weeks, the police in Oberhausen have been worried about many burglaries and vandalism at schools, kindergartens and gyms in the Ruhr area city. "Since the beginning of September we have had an extreme increase in burglaries in schools and kindergartens. It's less about theft than pure vandalism," said a spokesman for the Oberhausen police on Wednesday at the request of the German Press Agency. More than 25 crimes have been registered since the beginning of September. According to police estimates, the total damage to property is now in the region of 100,000 euros.
Doors and lockers broken open and ripped out, furniture and walls smeared and destroyed, classrooms, gymnasiums and toilets devastated. According to the police, due to the location of the evidence, it is probably not the actions of professional gangs of burglars, but rather vandalism by children, adolescents or young adults. "We had four new cases last weekend alone," said the police spokesman. The burglaries affected elementary schools, comprehensive schools and daycare centers. Sometimes it is "completely senseless destruction," the spokesman continued. "In one school alone, 16 massive wooden doors were completely destroyed."
The "Bild" (Wednesday) also reported. "We suspect that they see their actions as a kind of challenge and share them on social networks like Tiktok or Snapchat in order to boast and incite each other," said Chief Inspector Ralf Weyer, head of the department for juvenile crime at the Oberhausen Kripo Newspaper.
The authorities are currently sifting through social media, which is particularly popular with young people, and at the same time are hoping for information from the population. According to the police, it is not easy to find clues and clues for the search for the perpetrator. Especially since corresponding posts or contributions on the Internet often disappear after a certain time due to an automatic deletion function.
