After Boston University police alerted students to three reported robberies near campus March 8, police are repeating safety tips and neighborhood watch groups are offering some of their own community safety suggestions.
BU Police Department Sgt. Jack St. Hilaire said the school is located in a “relatively” safe place and the reported recent robberies were crimes of opportunity.
“The number of crimes committed in this area are low to begin with, and I certainly would not call them part of a crime wave,” he said.
On the first night of Spring Break, a woman in West Campus was tackled in an apparent attempted robbery, and two other women were robbed at knifepoint on or near Commonwealth Avenue in Allston, St. Hilaire said. The victims gave the similar descriptions for the suspect, he said.
The reported robberies, though seemingly connected, are random acts students should expect in an urban area, he said.
“Students shouldn’t have a false sense of security here,” St. Hilaire said. “Things do happen, but it isn’t something that is getting worse, or is even all that bad to begin with.”
Back Bay, Fenway and South End Neighborhood Watch member Karen Collins said students need to be aware of their surroundings.
She warned students who must walk alone not to take unnecessary risks. Most people on the street are “probably fine,” but not everyone is, she said.
Collins said students should exercise common sense above all, locking their doors at night to prevent burglaries.
Students who live in brownstones and apartments should move fans away from windows directly on the fire escape, she said. A burglar could climb up the fire escape and lift the window off the fan, as there is no way to lock a window that is partially open, she said.
She also said thieves often come into an apartment during a party, when no one would notice a stranger, and look for valuables.
“We’ve had students robbing other students, so it isn’t enough just to know that the random kid is from BU,” Collins said.
Neighborhood groups from Fenway, Kenmore and the Back Bay watch the BU area but Collins said because students themselves know campus best, they should take charge.
“If students speak up when they see something that doesn’t seem right, that looks suspicious, we could stop lots of thefts, vandalism, other crimes,” she said.