There have been 13 incidents of theft on campus in the last 30 days and one incident of sexual assault, according to information obtained from Campus Safety, the Ottawa Police Services, and crime databases. This is double the number of reported thefts for January and almost triple the amount for December.
Campus Safety director Allan Burns said the incident of sexual assault involved a person being kissed without consent but declined to provide more details.
The thefts all involve personal items being stolen from unlocked and unattended storage areas such as lockers and cubby holes, as well as one theft from a room in residence.
Burns said the problem is easily preventable by students.
“I continue to stress, do not leave your valuables unattended, if they’re in a locker make sure there is a lock on it. Don’t set up your laptop then leave to go get a coffee,” Burns said.
According to Burns, the majority thefts took place in the Athletics Building from the mens’ locker room, for which one suspect was apprehended by campus security special constables and turned over to Ottawa Police.
Const. Marc Soucy of the Ottawa Police echoed Burns guidance not to leave valuables unattended and suggested not to bring them with you. He also stressed the importance of using locks when using lockers.
Although all reported thefts in the last month have involved unattended personal items, Burns urged that if ever confronted with a personal robbery to immediately give over the items to avoid confrontation. He also urged victims to report the crime immediately and give as much description of the person or people involved as possible.
Const. Soucy also reminds victims of theft to report incidents immediately not only to campus security and the police, but if identification or credit cards are stolen to report to the agencies responsible for issuing the cards to prevent unauthorized use.
