A young man was apprehended on campus in the early hours on Thursday after Campus Security was notified of a suspicious character in Mackintosh-Corry Hall.
The accused is charged with break and enter, possession of stolen property and possession of break-in tools, said Const. Neil Finn, Kingston Police spokesperson.
Finn said Campus Security chased the man from Mac-Corry and then apprehended him at Victoria Hall. Police were called just after 1 a.m.
David Patterson, director of Campus Security, told the Journal the accused was noticed by someone in the building as matching the description of a suspicious individual released as part of a campus security alert. The alert was posted online on Dec. 8.
“[He was] in an area where [he] shouldn’t have been and [he was] noticed matching the description. That description was from previous occurrences in Mac-Corry,” Patterson said. “He was apprehended and arrested by police on campus.”
The accused attended a bail hearing Thursday afternoon, but his name and details on whether he was remanded to custody or released on bail were not available at press time.
This incident is just one of many theft-related incidents that occurred on and off campus throughout exam period and the winter break.
A break-in at the Media Centre, located on the third floor of the JDUC, was discovered and reported to Campus Security at 8:25 a.m. on Monday, Patterson said in an e-mail to the Journal.
Bob Burge, director of the JDUC, said the break-in must have occurred sometime on Sunday, since a student was working in the centre Saturday night.
Stolen items include a Macintosh computer and attached monitor belonging to the United— replacement value estimated at $2,500—and a light grey IBM Clone U worth about $1,500, belonging to Diatribe.
The perpetrator gained entry by smashing a pane of glass in the door and opening the lock from the inside. The glass has since been replaced at a cost of about $200, Burge said.
Burge said Kingston Police were not able to collect any fingerprints from the scene.
He said that even though the JDUC is patrolled by security, it might be possible for someone to walk in and out late at night without being noticed.
“If it happens at 4 a.m. or something, nobody saw them and they probably just walked inside and took them.”
Burge and Patterson both said students need to be aware of their surroundings to prevent thefts.
“Trust your instincts … question the presence of any unknown individuals and report suspicious activity to Campus Security immediately,” Patterson said.
Burge said forced-entry break-ins occur periodically in the JDUC.
In an unrelated incident, a break-in at the Sexual Health Resource Centre on Jan. 4 was reported to police. In this case, only money was stolen. SHRC staff could not be reached for comment.
Throughout December, Campus Security released alerts about suspicious characters and increased patrols in Mac-Corry. Alarm systems were installed in some of the offices in Mac-Corry following a review of security measures in mid-December, Patterson said.
Off campus, several students returned to Kingston to discover their homes had been broken into.
Finn said the number of break-ins in the Ghetto over the holidays was about the same as last year. Approximately 25 break-ins in the Ghetto were reported to police over the break.
“Chances are we’ll probably still get some reports,” Finn added.
One of these homes included a house on Aberdeen Street that was being monitored by the AMS Holiday House Check program.
House Check Manager Andrew Rodmell said the students living in the house had signed up for the maximum of nine checks, and although the home was broken into, nothing appeared to have been taken.
“[There was] a total of 494 checks done throughout the holidays to approximately 80 homes. Last year there were 443 checks done,” Rodmell said. “The program was 100 per cent successful with no break-ins occurring, other than the one where nothing was taken.”
Rodmell said when House Check employees checked on homes in the program, they noticed a small number of broken-in doors on other homes not signed up for the program. He said they subsequently notified police, adding that the police were happy the program was running to supplement the increased police presence.
Finn said police presence was increased over the break.
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