Jonkershove (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Jonkershove municipal school (52 students) faced a break-in and attempted arson. Director Lindsy Vanlerberghe urges better security. Mayor Jeroen Vandromme plans camera surveillance to prevent vandalism and ensure safety.
As VRT News reported, on Friday morning, May 30, 2025, the municipal school in Jonkershove, a village near Houthulst, Belgium, was targeted in a break-in and an attempted arson. The school’s director, Lindsy Vanlerberghe, was alerted and found that 2 doors had been forced open, granting unauthorised entry.
Officials mentioned that inside the dining room, bottles of fruit juice had been deliberately smashed, indicating vandalism. On the playground, the remains of PM waste were discovered, having been set on fire in an apparent attempt to cause further damage.
The incidents are thought to have occurred between Wednesday afternoon, after the children had left, and Friday morning, when the cleaning staff arrived and discovered the destruction. The type of damage and the areas targeted suggest a major security breach and a dangerous escalation in the perpetrators’ actions.
What measures will protect Jonkershove School after the break-in and arson attempt?
Last summer, people went to the playground and wrote on a board. Officials mentioned that this week’s incident is much worse because it included breaking in and trying to set a fire. This put the school, students, and staff in danger. Director Vanlerberghe is worried about the growing problems and wants better security. The community hopes that something will be done soon to stop more damage and keep everyone safe.
The school in Jonkershove has 52 students in the lower grades. It’s next to the village hall. The school has had problems with young people hanging around. The director, Lindsy Vanlerberghe, doesn’t know if they live nearby or come from somewhere else.
She worries that if former students caused the damage, it would be very sad. The school teaches respect, and the damage goes against this. The village is talking about what happened. Vanlerberghe hopes that the people who did it weren’t students who used to go there. It would shock the community.
Houthulst’s local government is taking steps to enhance security measures in response to growing concerns. Mayor Jeroen Vandromme announced plans to install camera surveillance near the school and the village hall. This decision comes after numerous complaints about youths causing disturbances, including incidents of vandalism such as broken bottles in the vicinity of the village hall.
The installation of these cameras is intended to provide increased monitoring of the area. They mentioned that this will assist the authorities in identifying and addressing any future incidents more efficiently.
