Thieves active in the library

“It happens a few times a month,” someone from the library security says. “All kinds of things are taken: laptops, smartphones … It is so easy.” The laptop of a master student was stolen last Sunday. “I was away for forty minutes to get lunch. How stupid. The laptop was brand new, I only had it for a few weeks. Unfortunately it’s not insured because it was just lying on the table.” The student, who doesn’t want to be named in the article, is shocked. “I feel less comfortable in the library now and I’m not going to sit at the same spot again.”

Watch out around the red couches

The student was sitting on the red couches at the south side of the building. A place where most stuff gets stolen. There is no camera security there and because the couches are high, it is easy to sneak away. “You really need to watch out around the red couches,” warns the security officer. She has some tips. “Take your stuff with you. If that means that you lose your spot, let someone else grab a coffee for you. Go to the desk and borrow laptop locks. Don’t trust the students that sit around you. It’s the people that don’t look suspicious that are the worst.”

For the master student, these tips come too late. “I was never aware of what people can do with my data. Next time I will be more careful and will always bring my laptop with me when I go for a break.”

Amira, Chemical Engineering (photo above): “Right now I’m having a little break and I also left my stuff in the library. I didn’t know stuff gets stolen so often! I have a feeling of trust in the library, like a warm home. That may change now. During the exam period, I see people walking around the library that are not from the TU. Maybe it’s an idea to refuse them entry to the library.”

 ​​Giulio and José Ignacio, Aerospace Engineering: “I heard there were laptops stolen last weeks. I can see why, because everything is just lying around. I think it’s sad though,” says José Ignacio. “I had no idea this was happening. When I go to the toilet, I also leave my stuff on the table, otherwise I lose my spot!” says Giulio. “A solution could be that the library hangs up cameras everywhere. I wouldn’t mind having a camera hanging above my head. At the start of the year, they gave away plastic bottles to promote the IT services. They could also give away laptop locks.”

Roos van Tongeren / Redacteur