By Ryan Chaffin, News Correspondent
Reported crime both on and off campus has risen over the past year, including an overall increase in drug violations and reports of domestic violence in the past years, according to a report from the university’s Public Safety Division.
The Northeastern University Safety, Security and Fire Safety Annual Information Report for 2013-2014, released earlier this month, found that drug violations and liquor law violations spiked in 2012. including arrests and disciplinary referrals.
In 2010, there were 87 arrests for drug violation on campus and in 2012, that number rose to 131. Although the number of liquor law violations on campus decreased sharply from 48 in 2010 to 21 in 2011, the number rose back to 47 in 2012.
Increases in on-campus arrests and referrals by police officers since 2010 are not a sign of an upswing in crime, however, according to Kara Shemin, a university spokeswoman. A number of mitigating factors give depth to the statistics covered in the report, including the fact that the statistics in the report indicate the number of people rather than incidents, suggesting a more individualized approach to violations, Shemin said.
“We are committed to taking a 360-degree approach to maintaining a healthy and safe environment on campus and in the neighborhoods surrounding the university. This includes a combination of vigilant enforcement of our drug and alcohol abuse policies by the Public Safety Division and the residential life team,” Shemin said. “The university also provides a wealth of prevention and educational training resources to students and Resident Assistants, which, for example, has led to a decrease in the number of incidences of binge drinking on campus since spring 2012.”
In addition, arrests and referrals reported are not wholly for student crimes. A non-trivial, but undisclosed, number of arrests relate to city crime spilling over into the area designated “public property” in the report, which thus falls under NUPD jurisdiction and is included in the annual crime reports.
The official report goes on in some detail, addressing concerns no doubt held by part of the student body.
