By Amanda Devaney, News Correspondent and Zack Sampson, News Staff
Incoming students at Northeastern are forewarned that the university is located in an urban setting prone to crime, but a few recent burglaries on campus have encouraged some to take extra precautions while walking around campus.
In January of this year, students reported two related incidents to Northeastern University Division of Public Safety (NUPD). Both involved a woman in a purple jacket armed with a knife who reportedly robbed two students. On Nov. 15, 2010, a student reported a teenage boy attempted to steal her purse while she was walking on Coventry Street. NUPD officers said the incident may have been related to similar attempted thefts on Coventry Street that day.
According to Northeastern University’s Clery Act Annual Report for 2010-11, the number of robberies reported by students increased between 2007 and 2009. A total of 11 incidents, either on or off campus, were reported to NUPD in 2009, up from three in 2008. A total of 46 robberies, all committed on public property, were reported to local police in 2009, three more than were reported in 2008.
Romir Chaudhuri, a freshman international business major, said a thief stole his iPhone earlier in the year while he was walking back to campus at night. Chaudhuri said he feels particularly unsafe in Ruggles Station.
“I get weird feelings when going through Ruggles,” Chaudhuri said. “I always feel like people are following me. I worked a lot last semester and came back at like 2:30 a.m. and had to walk through Ruggles.”
The issue of thefts is not confined to public areas. Some students have described robberies in private places. Andrew McOmie, a freshman architecture major, said his backpack was stolen from his residence hall room. He lost his Japanese passport and banking information went missing. McOmie also said he witnessed two thieves break into a vehicle parked on Huntington Avenue in the middle of the day.
Despite the relative frequency of theft, some students said they feel more comfortable because of the strong police presence on Northeastern’s campus.
McOmie said he frequently goes to the Dunkin‘ Donuts in Ruggles Station for coffee and always feels safe.
“I go up to Dunkin’ Donuts to get coffee and there are definitely some sketchy people, but there are tons of transit police,” McOmie said.
Some people attribute numerous robberies to a lack of student caution and awareness.
Freya Sampson, a freshman undeclared major, said students should avoid carrying valuable items around, particularly in the spring when such things are not hidden under large jackets.
Jim Ferrier, NUPD associate director, said in a 2009 article the best protection against mugging is prevention, particularly at the student level. Some individuals have already followed this advice by exercising caution when walking in the area.
“I tend to walk with other people just to feel safer about it,” Sampson said. “I try to be smart about it, like not walking with my laptop exposed or cash in my hands.”
