KINGSTON, Jamaica — Director of Security at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus Keith Gardner on Friday issued a statement highlighting the “inaccuracies” in an open letter which detailed security concerns at the institution.

OBSERVER ONLINE published the letter to the UWI last Sunday. Written by student and Chancellor Hall Chairman Aujaé Dixon, the letter asserted that the tertiary institution’s administrators were “not making any concerted effort to make this campus safer for students”.Read: ‘Living like prisoners’ at UWI student residenceSee Gardner’s statement in full below:Fallacy # 1FactsFallacy #2FactsFallacy # 3FactsFallacy #4Facts

He said in his letter that there have been numerous break-ins on Chancellor Hall – the only all-male hall at the University of the West Indies – with at least five residents having had their laptops or tablets stolen since the start of the new semester.

Dixon also likened the way some campus residents were living to being like prisoners on their own blocks, and called on the responsible parties to start putting their words into action.

In his response, Gardner said campus administrators are aware that teaching, learning and research can best take place in an atmosphere that is conducive to these activities. He also said they understand that security and safety are therefore critical to these activities, pointing out that student residence and areas of recreation are no less critical for the placement of effective security assets.

He said, however, that a number of the concerns that have been expressed is “inaccurate and based either on ignorance of the existing security arrangements or an attempt to deliberately mislead the public”.

“Rumours often thrive on ignorance and in an effort to correct the inaccuracies the following facts are separated from the fallacies,” Gardner said.

Campus Administrators are aware that teaching, learning and research can best take place in an atmosphere that is conducive to these activities. They understand that security and safety are therefore critical to these activities. Student residence and areas of recreation are no less critical for the placement of effective security assets.

Recently, a number of security concerns have been expressed in articles published in two (2) of the nation’s leading newspapers. Much of what was stated is inaccurate and based either on ignorance of the exiting security arrangements or an attempt to deliberately mislead the public. Rumors often thrive on ignorance and in an effort to correct the inaccuracies the following facts are separated from the fallacies.

The University Administration is insensitive to the security needs of students on the Campus.

In February of 2008 the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in response to a wave of criminal activities (not necessarily directed at students) moved the Government of Jamaica to second from the Jamaica Constabulary Force to the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus as its first Director of Security an Assistant Commissioner of Police who is also a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona and Cave Hill Campuses and who had intimate knowledge of the security challenges on both Campuses. Since then several strategies have been devised and implemented to improve security on the Campus.

These include:

(i) Tripling the deployment of Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) staff of nine (9) to twenty five (25) (it must be noted that the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus is the only tertiary institution in which a Police Post is located). This provides the first of three (3) layers of security on the Campus.

(ii) The second layer of security is provided by a private contracted Security Firm – Guardsman Limited, arguably one of the finest in the region. Two hundred and fifty (250) private Security Guards are deployed at one hundred and forty five (145) locations across the Campus during the days and sixty nine (69) locations during the nights. Of this number a team of seventy six (76) Security Guards are dedicated to the Security of twenty seven (27) access points located at twelve (12) Halls of residence on the Mona Campus. This represents almost forty percent (40%) of the security assets on the Campus.

(iii) The third layer of security is provided by a cadre of fourteen (14) Campus Police Officers, twelve (12) of whom were recruited and exposed to five (5) weeks of extensive training at the National Police College of Jamaica between June and July 2015 after which they were deployed across the Mona Campus.

They enjoy the same powers, privileges and immunities of Constables while on duty on the Mona Campus.

(iv)The development of an electronic surveillance and access control system to support the physical security entities on the Campus, aimed at integrating the security systems. An increase in the number of security cameras located at the access control points, around the perimeter, on Halls of Residence and other critical locations across the Campus.

(v)Increasing the mobility of the security formations on the Campus from two (2) vehicles in 2008 to nine (9) in 2015.

(vi)Introduction of a system of Bicycle Patrols and escort service to the student population on Campus.

The deployment of security assets take the form of concentric rings beginning at the outer perimeter of the Campus, then continuing to the security of our grounds and finally to residential, administration and teaching facilities within the Campus. Security Guards are deployed at one hundred and forty five (145) static points on Campus during the days and at sixty-nine (69) such points at nights. They are supported by mobile patrols, on bicycles, motor cycles and in marked police motor cars. Forty percent (40%) of our security assets is dedicated to the twelve (12) Halls of Residence. A total of seventy-six (76) Security Guards working on shifts provide security on a round the clock basis at twenty seven (27) Posts. These vary from seven (7) dedicated posts at the five hundred (500) block at the Elsa Leo Rhynie Hall to one Security Officer at the smallest University Crescent post.

Taken together the security arrangements and its attendant financial cost displays the University’s Administration commitment to the security of our students, staff and visitors. Security of the Campus must strike a delicate balance between the rights and interest of our students and that of the interest of the Campus itself. Over exuberance on the part of the security providers on Campus can often lead to student activism. The corollary to this is that failure to provide adequate security to the students can also lead to student’s activism.

The size of the Mona Campus and its location next to the Greater August Town community presents special security challenges. This is exacerbated by the nature of the services provided by the Campus to the surrounding communities. These includes the use of our financial institutions, recreational facilities, medical facilities, food establishments and the Legal Aid Clinic. The names of some of these institutions indicate the Campus’s commitment to the community.

New Halls of Residence have been constructed without any increase in the deployment of security at these facilities.

Since 2008 the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus has embarked on a number of projects aimed at improving teaching, research, residential and administrative facilities on Campus and off Campus. These include:

(i) The Western Jamaica Campus (WJC) which now accommodates approximately two thousand (2,000) students including living accommodations on two (2) Halls of Residence. This has resulted in a significant increase in the security deployment at that facility.

(ii) The six hundred and fifty (650) acre Mona Campus estate is secured by over three hundred (300) security personnel working on shifts and coordinated by the Director of Security making the ratio of security personnel to students the highest in Jamaica.

Since the construction of five (5) new Halls of Residence on the Mona Campus fourteen (14) additional Security Posts were established. These are manned on a round the clock basis by Security Guards.

The creation of new teaching, research and administrative offices have resulted in the creation of twelve (12) additional Security Post which are manned on a round the clock basis. In short, a total of forty five (45) new Security Posts have been established across the Campus since 2008. It is therefore not correct to say that the Campus’s Administration has not been addressing the security needs of the Campus community.

The increase in the deployment of private Security Guards on the Mona Campus has resulted in the doubling of our security budget since 2008.

In summary, the combined deployment of over two hundred (200) Security functionaries on the Campus makes it one of the most heavily secured areas in Jamaica.

There has been an increase in the number of security breaches on Halls of Residence.

Data from the Police, private Security Guards and members of the Campus community are captured on incident report forms and fed into the system.

Our records indicate that since 2009 serious criminal incidents such as rape, abduction and robbery have been decreasing significantly.

Like almost every other University in the western hemisphere the Mona Campus continues to be plagued by simple larceny and break-ins which are opportunity crimes largely facilitated by assets that are left unsecured.

Larceny on the Mona Campus when compared to other Universities of similar population and size are comparatively fewer.

The theft of electronic equipment have been largely confined to four (4) of the twelve (12) Halls of Residence including Chancellor Hall. In the majority of cases, laptops, cellular phones and cash were targeted and stolen while the residents had left their flats for brief moments. Only in three (3) cases were there signs of physical break-ins. In two (2) of these three (3) cases the culprits were arrested and charged.

Until recently all the traditional Halls were separated from each other by security fencing. Access between Halls were regulated by Security Guards. Since the construction of the new Elsa Leo Rhynie Hall which contains over five hundred (500) individual flats on five (5) separate blocks, the conscious decision was taken to facilitate the integration of the residents of Irvine Hall, Taylor Hall, Chancellor Hall and Elsa Leo Rhynie Hall which all sit side by side to each other.

Sixteen (16) Security Guards are placed at entrance point to the four (4) Halls. The challenge is that once the residents and their visitors have accessed any of these four Halls they may roam freely from Hall to Hall. Chancellor Hall has a special challenge in that the residents and their visitors on the other Halls often use Chancellor Hall to access food and other facilities located just outside Chancellor Hall. This exit is also used to access the Main Library.

 A delicate balance has to be struck between enforcing the access control policy while at the same time not exposing the students to any apparent harassment.

Chancellor Hall examined

Since 2008 there have been seventy two (72) reported incidents relating to Chancellor Hall. Sixteen (16) of which involve the theft of electronic equipment. Of this amount there were eight (8) arrests.

While claims have been made that since the beginning of this Academic Year 2015/2016 there has been a spike in break-ins and larceny, this is not reflected in our records as no report was made either to the Police nor Campus Security in this regard.

Open Lines of Communication

The Guild Executive meets with the Campus Senior Administration at regular intervals and once a month with the Security Committee which is chaired by the Deputy Principal. This has in its membership representatives from all the critical entities on the Campus including the Guild of Students.

In addition, frequent presentations are made to student groups at convenient times and places throughout the year.

Students are given the opportunity of articulating their security concerns and in many instances these concerns were addressed almost immediately. In one instance after the adjournment of the Security Committee Meeting, the Chairman and members of the Committee were invited by the President of the Guild to visit locations that were of security concerns to the students. Together, these matters were addressed almost immediately.

Open lines of communication between the student leadership and the Campus Administration facilitate quick resolution of many of our security problems.

It is therefore surprising to learn that members of the student body have been expressing concerns that were not previously articulated to the leadership of the Guild or to the Campus’s Administration.

There is very little effort to increase the security of those who have to tread the dark paths which the University has been pledging to rectify.

Over the last four (4) years the University has embarked on a programme of replacing bridle paths with paved concrete walkways, the majority of which have been lit. The maintenance of the walkways and lights is the functionary of the Estate Management Department which is represented at our monthly Security Committee Meetings. Reports of defects are dealt with immediately in the majority of instances.

While the Campus has a responsibility to provide security against those threats to students and their property that are reasonably contemplated. These measures are primarily against intruders, comparatively little security measures can be taken against crime originating within the facility. Persons having intimate knowledge of the location and vulnerability of assets on the Campus sometimes seize the opportunity of preying on those assets.

An estimated thirty- eight thousand (38,000) persons traverse the Campus each day. These include students, staff and visitors. A distinction must be made between those persons who are legally entitled to be in certain sensitive areas of the Campus with those persons who are not. The wearing of identification cards and observation of the Visitor Management System will go a far way in preventing or minimizing crime on the Campus. This supported by willingness of students who witness offences being committed or suspicious activities on the Campus to promptly report these activities to the Security Officers or the Campus’s Administration. A collaborative effort in the prevention and reduction of crime is the path to pursue.

In the last five (5) years several students, staff members and visitors have been arrested, tried and convicted for offences ranging from the illegal possession of firearm to housebreaking and larceny. Our reluctance to promulgate these convictions may have unwittingly subscribed to the notion that very little is being done to enhance security on the Campus.

Escorts

Security escorts are provided by the University in the form of foot patrols (otherwise known as Bear Escort), Bicycle Escorts as well as Motor Vehicle Escort. The demand for these escorts have increased exponentially over the last two (2) weeks as students prepare for end of year examinations. These demands are being met with the provision of two marked Campus Police cars, six (6) bicycle patrols and an Emergency Response Vehicle.

We advise our student population to abstain from walking in isolated and unlit areas of the Campus at nights and to use the escort services provided by the Campus.

There can be no good reason for failing to report criminal activities that are witnessed by students and other Campus stakeholders. The maxim is “if you see something, say something.”

Keith M D Gardner, MG BH (M), BSc (Hons), LLB (Hons), LEC, LLM

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retired), Attorney-at-law & Director of Security