Theft in Higher Education

By: William Hodges

Feeling safe and that your valuables are safe is slowing diminishing on college campuses. As crime increases students can’t help but feel like they are starting to become prisoners at their own school. According to collegestudentsaftey.com “One of the most common types of campus crime in this day and age is theft, including dorm room theft.” “[T]he reality is that over 80% of all crimes reported at colleges…are property crimes.” Because of this students need to keep valuables with them at all times and never leave their book bag anywhere out of sight. Common items that are stolen from college students include “cell phones, laptops, cash, credit cards, iPods, and bicycles.” Having many of these stolen can have costly consequences for the owners.

Many schools have started to implement camera systems all over campus instead of just around big buildings. This helps to deter a lot of the theft and if something is stolen it is much easily recovered. Although camera systems are being implemented at many universities, it does not help in the matter of dorm room theft which is one of the most common versions of theft on campuses. Many college students forget to lock their doors when leaving their dorms and many will prop their doors open when using the bathroom or taking a shower so they do not have to bring a key with them. This is prime time for a thief who could be in and out of your dorm room with a television in the matter of seconds. College students need to start being much more aware of their belongings and start trying to actively prevent theft even when they feel like they are safe and that no one is going to steal their belongings.