Recently released crime statistics for North Carolina show the larceny crime rate for North Carolina State University (NCSU) was 4.4% in 2007 versus a statewide rate of just 2.6%, showing college students are 1.7 times more likely to experience theft than the rest of the population. NCSU reported 335 larceny incidents in 2007 totaling $146,420 in losses. NCSU also reported 51 burglaries in 2007 totaling $281,552 in losses. The good news: NCSU's burglary rate was lower than the statewide average.
According to Jim Stahl, President and CEO of OneStep Systems LLC who has a son and daughter attending NCSU as well as an older daughter who graduated in 2004, thefts on and around college campuses are an unfortunate reality. He notes several things can be done to minimize the chance of students becoming victims and to mitigate the affects if they are victimized.
Most thefts are crimes of opportunity so the first thing to do is to decrease the opportunities. Standard prevention tips include: close and lock windows as well as room and car doors, keep valuables out of sight and locked up if possible, park in well lighted areas, and don’t give your keys to anyone.
To decrease the worry about being a victim, and minimize the distress and loss in case you become a victim of theft, Stahl points to two things students can do. First, make sure there is adequate insurance coverage...for a laptop, GPS system, iPod, cell phone, bicycle, game system, etc. Parents’ homeowner’s policies may or may not provide that coverage. If not, renter’s insurance or student property insurance policies are available.
The second thing that can help is for students to document what they own. Having adequate documentation, especially photos, model and serial numbers, not only will assist in reporting thefts to campus and law enforcement officials and increase the chances for recovery but will also provide proof-of-loss so that insurance claims can be quickly and accurately processed. Stahl notes that 1StepInventory.com is a simple, inexpensive (50¢/month)
