Campus safety

Thefts at Bannatyne campus raise questions of security

CHRISTINE LEONG STAFF

On Dec. 11, 2006, a U of M student walking alone close to the Bannatyne campus came into contact with two males who demanded her purse. Shortly after, a U of M staff member was attacked by the same two males, but this time a small amount of money was taken. Although both the student and the staff member were not harmed that afternoon, the two culprits produced a handgun and a knife.

In December 2006 alone, a total of eight robberies or attempted robberies occurred near the Bannatyne campus.

“It is important to note that none of these incidents occurred on or in U of M property,” mentioned Matthew Guyot of the U of M Security Services. “U of M Security Services recognizes, however, that due to the proximity of these incidents, our staff and students are affected by this.”

Students in the faculties of medicine, dentistry, medical rehabilitation, and soon pharmacy all study at the downtown Bannatyne campus. Some U of M students do worry about having their notes and textbooks taken — items that are usually of little value to the robber, but of extreme value to the student. Nevertheless, personal safety is the biggest concern for students.

“Our campuses are affected by the same types of criminal activity as anywhere else in the city,” said Matthew Guyot.

U of M campus security encourages students and staff members to take advantage of the double patrols and patrol vehicles available for Safewalks or safe-rides. They also discourage anyone from walking alone.

“Travel in pairs or a group, or use Safewalk program if

“Verbal Judo takes you through a whole bunch of commands so that what you are basically dealing with is the emotion of a person before you are dealing with the situation.” — Bob Ferguson

alone,” advised Guyot. “Report any suspicious persons, vehicles to dispatch by any of the above means.”

The U of M has 12 emergency telephone stations, or Code Blue stations, located throughout the Fort Garry campus, and three on the Bannatyne campus. Students or staff members can push the emergency button to reach the Security Services department and an officer will arrive at the site in less than two minutes.

In Manitoba, students can also dial 555 using any campus pay phone, or #555 if they have an MTS or AT&T cell phone, during an emergency situation.

As for students at the Fort Garry campus, many feel generally safe during the day.

“I feel that campus security does a great job, considering the size of the student body,” said University 1 student Avery Graham. “However, I rarely see them around at night. It would be great if we could get more security particularly at night.”

Campus concerns
Across Canada, every campus offers similar programs and services to ensure student safety. These include rape and women’s defence classes, Safewalk or safe-ride services, emergency telephones, video surveillance and general patrolling.

“Likely the biggest concern is getting stuff stolen,” noted Bob Ferguson, director of Security Services at the University of Saskatchewan. “It’s not the stranger attack or being beat up, it’s stuff being stolen and I think that goes right through every university.”

The University of Saskatchewan has set up safe study areas where students can study in an environment that is watched by student security.

“We create a study area that runs 24 hours a day that is absolutely safe,” explained Ferguson. “You can come and not worry about getting stuff stolen, getting harassed by people . . . having noise.”

Ferguson also noted that they regularly check for identification on campus.

“We check IDs on campus so if you are in buildings at night you have to have identification,” said Ferguson. “We will throw you off campus if you don’t carry it, and that goes for faculty.” The U of S has roughly 300 cameras around campus, up from zero cameras two years ago. These cameras are used for investigative purposes. At the University of Waterloo, there were 83 reported thefts of less than $5,000 in 2005, including bicycles and other items. This number ranged from 31 to 52 in 2000 to 2003, but has increased to more than 80 in 2004 and 2005. No stats are yet available for 2006.

Jason Kirkby of the University of Toronto Campus Police described a unique program — Bait Bike — that was originally introduced in Victoria, B.C., and has recently been used on their campus. Carried out in concert with the Toronto Police Service, Bait Bike uses a GPS receiver planted on a bicycle that is able to track the bike in the event it gets stolen. In October 2006, the program successfully caught a bicycle thief.

“As soon as that bike moved, it would send a signal back to an officer that was stationed and he could track it on a digital map on a computer and tell us exactly where that bike was going,” said Kirkby. “We could then move in and arrest the individual who stole the bike.”

In terms of protecting yourself when walking alone or at night on campus, Kirkby advised students to “always walk with confidence.”

“Don’t look like you could be a potential victim,” maintained Kirkby. “Walk confidently so that someone doesn’t

In December 2006 alone, a total of eight robberies or attempted robberies occurred near the Bannatyne campus

want to mess with you.”

Furthermore, the U of T has a Working Alone program in which students or faculty working late at night can call the campus police and inform them of where they are and how long they will be there for.

“Every hour we will either show up in person to check in on them or call them on the phone and check with them and make sure everything is okay,” Kirkby added.

David Mauro, director of University of Winnipeg campus security, noted that personal safety is the overriding issue downtown and not just within the university itself.

“University of Winnipeg is a downtown campus and there are certain risks [that have] been associated with the downtown recently,” said Mauro. “Bicycle theft, vandalism, car vandalism are a major concern in the downtown area.”

Mauro emphasized that the distinction between the University of Winnipeg and larger college campuses, such as the U of M, is that “as soon as a student steps outside of the U of W, they are usually no longer on campus property — they are in the downtown inner-city.”

Mauro also maintained the need to make a compromise between an open environment and a secure environment.

“The University of Winnipeg is an open, accessible environment,” said Mauro. “So the art there is in keeping it secure and making it accessible. We also share much of our campus facility with our downtown neighbors . . . to encourage higher education among youths.”

Improving and maintaining campus security
Many campuses are continuously working on ways to improve campus safety.

“We are constantly improving our tools, technology, training, and staff,” said Mauro. “We also work very closely with the student association and we want to make sure we are meeting the needs of our students.”

Every May, universities across Western Canada meet to discuss new programs for the upcoming year, or any programs they are currently using that have proven to be successful.

“We share them with each other and we share people in training between institutions,” said Ferguson. “We are here for the students.”

One of the most valuable training tools introduced during these meetings, and practiced by staff of the U of S security, is Verbal Judo — a training program that was first applied at the University of Alberta.

“Verbal Judo takes you through a whole bunch of commands so that what you are basically dealing with is the emotion of a person before you are dealing with the situation,” said Ferguson.

The University of Saskatchewan also has a report available on its website comparing campus security information from across Canada. The report, from the University of Saskatchewan Public Safety Issues April 2004 edition, found that Manitoba has a full-time student-to-security officer ratio of 492. The national average is 681.

As for U of M students, many would agree that U of M campus security is generally doing a good job.

“Overall I believe the U of M is pretty secure,” commented Graham. “They are very good about sending out warnings and keeping the student body informed of events occurring on campus.” As a result of the recent robberies, campus security has planned to take action.

“Security Services has increased staffing at the Bannatyne campus, and has broadened its Safewalk parameters to include areas adjacent to U of M property,” noted Guyot. “U of M Security Services is dedicated to providing the safest community possible for all staff, students, and visitors. The . . . services are designed to assist us in creating an environment where staff and students can feel safe and secure.”