Officials will make no specific changes to security at the University in response to the two robberies that occurred last weekend-one on East Campus and one just off of East.
"These were crimes of opportunity," said Leanora Minai, senior public relations specialist for Duke University Police Department. "We are always looking at how to better position the officers to patrol the campuses, looking for the best way to prevent crime."
Sophomore Conor Cronin was robbed inside the East Campus stone walls around 1:40 a.m. Saturday morning. Later that day, Kernersville police arrested and charged Christopher Holt of Lewisville, N.C., with the crime.
Around 1:45 a.m., Sunday morning, a student was assaulted and robbed by four men as he was leaving Cosmic Cantina for East Campus. The Durham Police Department, the primary respondent to crimes in the city, is currently looking for suspects in the second robbery.
A total of two robberies-one of which is Cronin's-have occurred on Duke campuses since August, said interim DUPD chief Robert Dean. Over the same time period last year, police recorded two robberies on Central Campus and one on West Campus, Dean added.
"The statistics show that we are doing better," Minai said. "We're doing a great job. There aren't any alarming trends appearing. No campus is immune to crimes."
Many students living on East Campus said they were unaware of the recent pair of robberies.
"I didn't feel unsafe until I heard about the robberies because I do walk around campus alone sometimes," freshman Lauren Tam said. "I guess it says something about campus security."
Some freshmen noted that the paths off of East are not well-lit at night.
"That's kind of scary. There aren't as many blue help lights on East, especially on the way to Ninth Street, and the road is really dark," said freshman Anna Beck after hearing about the two incidents. "But I would never walk alone."
Many freshmen agreed that students should not walk alone at night.
"They should be more careful and walk around in a group," freshman Alex Senior said. "There's not much the police can do. These things just happen."
Security administrators said DUPD officers patrol not only within the confines of Duke's campus but also on the streets immediately adjacent to University property.
"At any given time, there are five or more police officers on [East] Campus," Dean said.
DUPD, however, cannot work alone to ensure the safety of students, he added.
"We are always reassessing our coverage of the campus," Dean said. "The police department plays a role in campus security, but we need supporting casts, members of our community, students and faculty."
Minai suggested that students should walk in well-lit areas, not walk alone at night, find a cab or get an escort.
She also said that students should call 911 immediately after an incident occurs rather than returning to their residence halls first.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.