In 2002, property valued at $359,881 was stolen from U of T. Only $1,638 of that property has been recovered.
Sam D’Angelo, staff sergeant and operations manager of the U of T police, says this is because many things now being stolen are technology items. These stolen items are sold and “tend not to end up where they can be recovered,” he said.
According to the 2002 U of T police annual report, “the campus community has enjoyed a decrease in thefts.” This is true of theft incidents under $5,000, which havedropped to 358 counts in 2002 from 763 in 2001. What the report does not emphasize, however, is the value of stolen U of T property has doubled to $359, 881 in 2002, up from $178,892 the previous year.
D’Angelo attributes this to the rise in the theft of costlier “larger ticket items,” such as laptops and flat-panel monitors. He suggests that this increase in theft is “happening all over the city,” not just at U of T. “Security takes a backseat” at U of T’s “unique academic environment, an open environment,” said D’Angelo. Because this environment is open to anyone and everyone, the campus community is “much more vulnerable to theft.” D’Angelo said that criminals can easily fit into the environment and are met with little resistance.
Several expensive projectors have been stolen from U of T lecture halls in recent months. A projector taken from Convocation Hall on April 29 was valued at $30,000, a $15,000 projector was taken from the Wallberg building sometime after April 19, and a $10,000 projector was taken from the Rotman Centre on March 31. These thefts usually happen during the day, says D’Angelo, because “professional crooks do not come at night.”
Bruce Anderson, the facility co-ordinator at Convocation Hall, seriously doubts the $30,000 projector will be recovered. “A unit that large will probably not be sold here in Canada,” he notes. Anderson believes that “security on campus is fine.” He says that the responsibility for breaking and entering does not rest solely on the police, however, but “on the general university community to be aware and to help [keep the campus] secure.” He believes it even falls “on students to make sure the door locks behind them.” Anderson suggests that an educational campaign might help to improve security on campus, since right now “not everyone is getting the message.”
Tammy Taylor, facilities and services co-ordinator for the U of T law school, does not believe that security on campus is tight enough. Two computers valued at $4,590 were taken from Falconer Hall on April 7 and she has no hope they will be recovered. Taylor suggests more cameras and a key or card entry system would help beef up security. Since U of T police did not send the school a follow-up notice, she is not sure if they are doing enough to recover stolen items.
But the question remains: if so much is being taken, why is security so lax, and how can criminals walk off with campus projectors and computers in broad daylight? D’Angelo suggests an academic community such as U of T is not conducive to tight security. “Security is not a convenience for people,” he said.
