By Tamar Bot
— As a response to the recent increase in break-ins, DUWO replaced the broken glass panel at one of the entrances of the AUC dorms with a temporary wooden panel this afternoon.
The panel had been broken for several weeks, allowing anyone to get into the hallway of the building. A new panel was ordered upon tenants’ reports of the broken glass earlier on, but was not available. According to Hans Pluim, DUWO’s branch manager for the Amsterdam area, they made a wrong estimation of how long this would take. The wooden panel will be removed and replaced by a new glass panel as soon as it arrives.
DUWO will not take any explicit additional safety measures as a response to the attempted and actual break-ins that were reported over the last few weeks. “The buildings fulfill all safety requirements,” Pluim said. There are multiple steps intruders have to take in order to enter a student’s room, given students lock these and make sure the string doors are closed properly, he explained. A list of broken string doors has been sent to DUWO.
DUWO checked the entire building after they were notified of the break-ins. According to Pluim, all of the current safety measures function properly. The burglars sabotaged part of the system by taping the locks. “DUWO cannot do anything about that, except for removing the tape as soon as we see it,” Pluim said.
Tenants also have to be attentive when walking through the building. DUWO explicitly urges students to make sure string doors are closed, lock their doors and refrain from giving their spare magnetic keys to friends or relatives outside AUC.
Some students have installed additional locks on their doors. According to DUWO, this is not necessary. “The doors to rooms are really very safe,” Pluim said. According to him, if they are locked, it is impossible for anyone to open them.
Despite recent rumours of the planned installation of safety cameras, DUWO will not undertake such measures. Although they considered it, it would be complicated in regards to privacy. Also, the cameras would have to be monitored 24/7 in order to function as immediate warning signifiers: this is too expensive.
DUWO will pay extra attention to make sure the safety system in place actually works by doing extra check-ups to see if string doors are closed and locks function. In the mean time, students should also be vigilant. “You simply have to be concerned about your own safety,” said Pluim.
The Herring 