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Panjab University beefs up security after string of thefts on campus
Most parking lots inside Panjab University are also not covered by CCTV cameras; as per officials, CCTV coverage is only at a few major parking lots, like that of UILS and the student centre, while the rest are not covered
After four mobile phones were stolen from the scooter of a student outside an exam centre at Panjab University (PU) on Monday, the university has beefed up security on the varsity campus and issued instructions to the security personnel to keep a watch, especially around the parking lots inside the campus.
However, this is not the first theft incident in a parking lot at PU. In a similar incident on May 24, a woman had reported that someone had broken into her car parked outside the University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS) and stolen two mobile phones, apple airpods and bank cards.
Speaking about the incidents, Vikram Singh, chief of university security, said, “In previous incidents of theft also we have seen that the perpetrators prefer to strike in parking lots. Their modus operandi is that they sit in their vehicles and keep a watch for students placing their mobiles or laptops inside their vehicles and strike when left unattended.”
Singh added that he has instructed all security staff to not let people just sit idly in their vehicles in the parking lots of the university. “We request people if they want to sit in their vehicles, do so outside the parking lots at a distance of over 50 meters. I request students also not to leave any valuables in their vehicles,” he added.
The patrolling of security staff will also be increased. Some security officials have been instructed to stay in a civil dress while patrolling to monitor the situation better.
Most parking lots inside PU are also not covered by CCTV cameras. As per officials, CCTV coverage is only at a few major parking lots, like that of UILS and the student centre, while the rest are not covered.
The PU security staff works in tandem with the Sector-11 police station. They have established a police post here and conduct their own patrolling. The security staff haven’t maintained a record of how many complaints they have received in the previous days but whatever inputs they receive are shared with the police to register FIR.
The security staff works in three shifts. During each shift, around 65 security guards are posted within the campus but the number is small, considering that there are 20 hostels and 78 departments in the university all of which need security. PU authorities are currently working on recruiting more security personnel.
Meanwhile, the university has also increased the security inside the hostels, as per dean student welfare (DSW) Jatinder Grover. The university authorities have also issued circulars asking students to carry their ID cards with them at all times and to only allow vehicles with PU issued stickers inside the varsity.
