Next act of malice

Vandals deliberately flooded the problem school

Vandals were on the rampage again at the Diesterweg School in Linz.

(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

Just over six months ago, the Diesterweg School in Linz hit the headlines. Shots were fired at the building during the night. Now there is the next act of vandalism with enormous material damage. A sink was blocked outside school hours and the corridor flooded. 

A break-in combined with an act of vandalism at the Diesterweg School in Linz last weekend caused enormous material damage that will result in lengthy repairs and costs in the high six-figure euro range. The perpetrators blocked a sink on the upper floor while water was running, causing considerable damage and necessitating extensive repairs.

Only the swift action of the school team prevented even greater damage. The police are investigating.

Deputy Mayor Dietmar Prammer (SP ), who is responsible for school maintenance, and City Councillor for Security Michael Raml (FP) met with the police, the school management and experts from the municipal administration today, Monday, to discuss the next steps.

"This wanton and senseless act of destruction is to be condemned from the ground up. In addition to the adaptation work decided in February - including a new security gate - the City of Linz is now evaluating further measures in consultation with the school management and the police. I would like to thank the school wardens and teaching staff for their swift and courageous intervention. They immediately found alternative rooms for affected classes in order to ensure that lessons could run smoothly," emphasized Prammer. 

Together with the police and the school management, we will initiate further steps quickly this week, such as video surveillance of the school grounds.

Michael Raml, FP-Sicherheitsstadtrat

"Linz's schools are not only a place where knowledge is imparted, they must also be places of safety. As a school provider, the city must take all available security measures to prevent such acts. This week, together with the police and the school management, we will quickly initiate further steps such as video surveillance of the school grounds," says Raml.

Security measures almost complete
The incidents mentioned in February of this year led to additional security measures being decided to make it more difficult for people from outside the school to gain access. For example, the main entrance to the school was to be made more secure, the entrance on Krankenhausstraße was to be fitted with an electric sliding gate and an additional fence in the after-school care area was to restrict access. The current incident occurred shortly before the work was completed.