CONTINUED graffiti attacks have been "heartbreaking" for a Mooroolbark primary school.
Vandals set upon Pembroke Primary School on the night of January 11, spraying graffiti over school buildings.
The group then broke into a storage room and threw toilet paper over the school grounds before attempting to start a fire. They also stole two electric guitars.
School business manager Carolyn O'Rourke, speaking on behalf of principal Carolyn Elliot, said the damage bill would hit the humble school hard. "It isn't the first time something like this has happened," she said. "It costs so much money to clean up damage like this, and we just don't have it. We've only got about 100 kids at our school . . . it just breaks your heart when you don't have the money to clean it up."
Mrs O'Rourke believed the vandals were former students who would most likely escape charge. "Because we didn't see them doing the graffiti, they won't be charged and will probably get a slap on the wrist," she said. "This is an ongoing problem . . . the police have their hands tied."
Mrs O'Rourke said there was not much the school could do. "The best thing we can do is to deter them from entering the school again.We just have to keep cleaning up and hope they don't do it again."
Detective Senior Constable Anthony Thomas, of the Yarra Ranges crime investigation unit, said they had not discovered any leads in the case and were still appealing for witnesses.
Senior Constable Thomas said the graffiti on the school buildings was run against the Yarra Ranges graffiti database. "Some of the tags were identified on the database, although these could not be matched to any identities."
On the same night, vandals also damaged the nearby Gray Street Preschool, where they threw paint and cooking ingredients over walls and the floor. Senior Constable Thomas said police suspected the two incidents were linked.
He urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.