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By Helen Seliverstov
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
hseliverstov@media.ucla.edu
Car burglaries in the UCLA area went up in the last year while
burglaries overall and sex crimes declined, according to the
UCPD’s recently released Annual Crime Statistics draft.
The number of burglaries was down 68 incidents, but the numbers
of motor vehicle thefts jumped dramatically the past year, from 54
to 79.
The rise over the past year can be attributed to the increasing
number of cars, said director of police community services Nancy
Greenstein.
In addition, the number of robberies increased by a factor of
six, from four incidents in 2000 to 24 this past year.
Students should always park in well-lit areas not leaving any
valuable items visible in the car, said assistant manager of
Community Service Officers Matt Ellis.
“If you leave compact discs in the back seat, you are
extending thieves an invitation to break-in,” Ellis said.
Preventive measures like keeping the car clean and putting a
club on it definitely help in discouraging break-ins, he
continued.
Ellis also said they will use these statistics to direct biking
patrols to the areas that are affected by crime.
“We react to patterns, so we will continue to send people
to parking structures, especially to Sunset Village and Parking
Structure 1 because many people park there overnight,” Ellis
added.
But because the affected areas change from year to year, the
officers must respond to changes as they come along, he added.
In addition, the number of thefts from buildings increased,
possibly because more libraries are open for longer hours,
Greenstein said.
Though there was a decrease in rape and sex offenses, officials
still strongly advise students to walk in groups at night.
As long as UCLA and Westwood communities stay responsive and
report crimes as they happen, big crimes will continue to go down,
Greenstein said.
The number of bicycle thefts also went down, from 65 in 2001 to
54 this past year.
Looking at the trends for the past year, Greenstein said overall
she thinks UCLA is a safe community.