The Boston University Police Department notified students Friday of a string of unarmed robberies in the Allston neighborhood, in which only handheld items were stolen from victims.
BUPD sent an Emergency Alert email to students regarding the robberies after the Boston Police Department notified the department about the recent frequency of the crime in the Gardner, Ashford and Pratt Street area. BUPD did not respond to the crimes, but all three victims were BU students, said BUPD Captain Robert Molloy.
“Boston Police notified us about these robberies, so we just wanted to reach out to the BU community and just warn the people who are out there late at night,” he said.
The three robbery victims were walking alone late at night, Molloy said.
The robberies occurred in late September, said Scott Paré, BUPD deputy director of public safety.
The suspect descriptions are different in each case, and there is no evidence of a connection between the robberies, the alert stated.
BUPD reminded students in the email alert to stay safe when traveling at night by refraining from using cell phones or other distractions, limiting alcohol consumption, walking with groups of people and keeping a whistle close by. If a student is robbed or attacked, he or she should try to get a clear description of the attacker and inform the police.
BU students can use the Security Escort Service, the number for which is on every student’s Terrier ID card, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. This service is student-run and allows students to walk home with an escort so that they are not alone, Paré said.
Students are also encouraged to use public transportation, such as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and taxi services when traveling at night, he said.
Another service offered to students is the RAD, or “Rape Aggression Defense,” program, according to the alert. The class costs $10.00 and educates women on how to physically protect themselves against aggressors.
“The best our students can do is follow those safety tips to really make sure they don’t get victimized and that will really reduce the chance of these happening again,” Molloy said.
BUPD is working to improve safety in the area by increasing its presence on nights when Allston is most populated, Molloy said.
“We have patrols that are in that area right now, and we’ve hired extra Boston Police officers to be in that neighborhood on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights,” he said. “We have those extra patrols, and we are going to increase our patrols in the West Campus area where some of these incidents have occurred.”
