BURGLARS defied the security cameras at a high school and stole... a security camera!

The incident at Moorland High School, Darwen, is the latest in a spate of thefts in and around Darwen.

Now police in the town are urging firms and organisations to step up their security.

Moorland installed several cameras last summer as a crime prevention measure.

Phillip Moorby, one of the deputy headteachers at Moorland, said: "Our security patrol was on site at night and saw some youths with a ladder.

"The ladder was not from the school - they had brought it with them. They removed a camera and were looking to remove others."

The culprits fled when they realised they had been spotted, leaving the ladder behind.

Items taken during the spate of Darwen raids have ranged from £50 to £1,500, and has totalled £12,000.

Sgt Rob Campbell of Darwen CID said: "Commercial premises, schools and churches are being targeted mainly in the evenings or early hours of the morning.

"Although security equipment is designed to prevent burglaries, cameras are valuable in their own right and need to be protected."

Police advice includes moving ladders or anything that could be used by thieves to get on to to the roof, using barbed wire or anti-climb paint, and enclosing expensive equipment in steel cages.

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