ROBBERY ON CAMPUS

LAME IN CAMPUS SECURITY, THE REASON FOR UPRISE IN HOSTEL ROBBERY

The rising spade of robbery of students in various hostels has dangled the need to sound a wake-up call to the SRC to take the security of students’ lives and properties as important as the eagle’s eye. An eagle uses its incredibly strong feet and sharp claws (talons) to defend its eaglet and inflict painful bites with its strong beak on predators. The eagle seems to be over protective—perhaps it values its eaglets so much. What about our leaders, I question?

The key players of our security are expected to know that, an environment like ours inhibits the nectar that attracts unscrupulous persons (Robbers). The school has recorded not less than single occurrence of theft case which should have put the student Leadership and hostel managers on guard yet the vacuum has still been left unpaced to the disposure of robbers to be devoured. It is disheartening that the effort to protect the lives and properties of students is rather recessive and retrogressive. Security on campus and outside campus is rather manned to protect properties of the school and not the humans in it. This is gross unfairness to humanity. The average student’s pocket money cannot afford three meals a day let alone lose his/her belongings. When will the plight of these vulnerable ones be satiated?

Not to awaken the pains of students who have been victimised but to recall an event that occurred in the sight of campus security personnel. One Obeng Felix of Computer Networking accounts an inflicted agony on how the careless and negligence of our security had him fill a bucket with tears. It was a fine Monday morning, where as usual all academic activities have returned to its accustomed duty. Obeng Felix had mid-semester exam to write—so he came to campus with his laptop, pocket MI-FI, money and Identity cards (ID cards) to catch-up his itinerary after the exams. Since his department do not accommodate foreign materials in its laboratories, a shelf has been created to keep bags and other prohibited belongings which is manned by a security at post. Just like the activities of hackers, if you establish security and leave loopholes, they will take advantage of the vulnerabilities and attack the system. Same vulnerabilities in the security system established at the Computer Science department got him robbed. The lame security has been a threat to the lives and properties of students. Predicting unforeseen circumstances, I don’t think the now campus security system is apt to combat and protect students. Attention must be given to the properties of students too and not school’s property only. Security at the hostels by measure is beyond poor and it is time for school authorities to set security criteria for the hostels to meet before they are certified and advertised on the official school’s website.

In my opinion, every hostel must have security personnel linked to campus security and the Community Police Post for effective communication and protection. There should be a quick response system to enhance surveillance, routes to hostels should be wide enough to have free space to stand against assailants, the SRC should consistently advocate for the New Juaben Municipal Assembly (NJMA) to erect street lights along routes leading to hostels, and proper lightening system must be enhanced to enable clear sight from the required distance and diameters by certifications. 

This is a wake-up call for School Authorities and the SRC to value the lives and properties of students. There has been numerous occurrences of theft cases and attack on students’ lives, yet little or no drastic measures have been taken to prevent such events.

JESSIE ASANTE

COMPUTER SCIENCE

KOFORIDUA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY