Theft on Campus
Recently some students have complained of theft and break-ins at the University of Guelph-Humber and the Humber North campus.
Rob Kilfoyle, director of public safety and emergency management at Humber said, “there have been 90 theft reports at the North Campus since Jan. 1, 2016.”
Guelph-Humber media studies student Laura Lourenco said that her car was broken into when it was parked in lot five at the Guelph-Humber parking lot and her belongings were stolen.
“Someone had broken my windshield and my sunglasses and wallet were gone. I had to pay $2,000 to get my windshield replaced,” Lourenco said.
The 20-year-old student said she does not feel safe parking in the campus parking lot or walking to her car alone.
“There should be much more security,” she said.
Psychology student Celeste Iafrate also reported someone trying to break into her car in the main lot for Guelph-Humber.
“I saw someone trying to break into my car. When I walked closer, they ran away and my door handle had scratches on it,” she said.
“I definitely don’t feel safe, especially at night time. There should be more security guards and more camera surveillance to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Iafrate.
Kilfoyle said there are programs for students to help them feel safer on campus.
“The Campus Walk program is a public safety program where coordinators provide walking escorts to anyone on campus who may feel vulnerable,” Kilfoyle said. Students can call the school’s security line and can have a security guard walk with them.
But theft doesn’t just occur in the Guelph-Humber parking lots. There have been reports of theft within the school, particularly in Humber locker rooms.
Media studies student John Kokkoros said that his laptop was stolen and he doesn’t feel comfortable leaving his belongings there anymore.
“I put my stuff in my locker and when I finished my workout I noticed my lock was opened and was hanging on the locker. My school bag with my laptop and textbooks were gone,” the 20-year-old said. He doesn’t know how his locker was broken into.
Kilfoyle said that there can’t be cameras in locker rooms but there is a lot of camera surveillance around campus. There are 800 cameras operating throughout the entire campus. Kilfoyle said his team could review the camera footage for evidence.
“We have security operators that monitor the cameras. Though we may not observe the crime being committed in progress,” he said.
If a student is robbed, Kilfoyle suggested reporting it to the public safety department and to file a report with the Toronto Police so the police have a record of it. “If the item is ever recovered, then they can sometimes trace it back,” Kilfoyle said.
Humber’s campus security can be reached at 416-675-8500. For more information about the services they provide, visit https://www.humber.ca/publicsafety/.
About the Author
Juliana Lupis is a journalism student who hopes to pursue a career in broadcasting. With a passion for the entertainment industry, Juliana would like to become an entertainment reporter one day.
Related Posts
‘A decade of dominance’ for the Humber Hawks →
Irregular temperatures not so out of the ordinary →
A decade without defeat →
