UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

OFFICE OF THE DEAN OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

FROM THE DEAN’S DESK                                                     

NOTES FROM THE DEAN’S DESK.

VOL. 2  FEBRUARY, 2012

 

The Office of the Dean of Student Affairs provides representation to the University about ways of enhancing the quality of students life; furthermore, the office maintain cordial relations among the various student groups and the student body as a whole, so that students will obtain maximum benefit from their University experience. 

Once again, welcome back to campus for the second semester.   I would urge you to take note of the following security and safety tips and the necessary precautions to ensure that you do not fall victim to the activities of miscreants on campus.

SECURITY AND SAFETY TIPS

ROOM SECURITY

1. Make sure your doors and windows are secured. If the locks or doors are faulty, report immediately to the porter/ management.

2.  Keep your door locked whether you are in the room or leaving for a short period. After locking the door, try opening it to see if it is properly locked.

3. Do not hold doorstep conservations with unknown persons. If you are suspicious, keep the door locked and call the Security.

4.  Keep your mobile phones and laptops out of sight when not in use.

5. Do not entertain strangers or visitors in your rooms without knowing who they are.

6. If someone calls or knocks at your door, always identify the person before opening the door. Do not assume the person is who he says he is.

IN TOWN

1. Avoid using lonely streets and lanes. It is    better to use busy streets.

2. Always walk in well lit places during the night.

3. If you must use a personal stereo, e.g. walkman or iPod, ensure that the volume is low enough for you to hear other sounds around.

4.  Always carry your purse close to your body.   It is better to put it in the side pocket than in the hip pocket. Hide your mobile phones.

5.  Make calls in secure places.

6. Avoid using ATM during the dark. If you must, then choose one that has good lights around. Be alert whilst using your ATM.

7. Avoid counting or displaying large amounts of cash.

8. Carry as little cash as possible. Try as much as possible to use the local currency.

9. Do not carry travel documents, for example, Passports, Visas, Traveler’s Cheques, etc with you when you are going out.

10. Jogging:  Restrict yourself to well lit areas or jog during day time. Avoid dark and unfrequented areas. If possible, do so in pairs or groups.

BELOW ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF INCIDENTS ON CAMPUS RECORDED BY SECURITY SERVICES THAT STUDENTS SHOULD TAKE NOTE:

1. BREAK- IN AND THEFT CASES

2. FRAUD BY FALSE PRETENCE

3. BAG SNATCHING

4. CAR BREAK – IN

5. ATTEMPTED RAPE

1.   BREAK-IN AND THEFT CASES

Students should be very vigilant in the halls of residence. When you want to visit the washroom lock the door.  There was an instance when a student left his door open to visit the washroom, he came back to find that his mobile phone had been stolen.

When studying in the reading rooms. Students should keep their phones out of sight if they want to take a short rest. There was case of a lady who dozed off while studying at night and woke up to find that her mobile phone which was in a book on the table had been stolen.

Students should be vigilant and question people loitering around.  There was an instance when a student questioned someone in a TV room.  He found out that the person was not a student.  A further check on him, revealed that he had stolen two mobile phones, two calculators, GH¢30.00 and a universal charger.  He was arrested and handed over to the security.

Students should also observe people who pick clothes on dry lines because some of them are thieves. For instance, a student questioned someone picking clothes on a line and he claimed he was sent. He was later discovered to be a thief.

Fraudsters also walk on the corridors and sometimes enter rooms pretending to be Preachers and Pastors sharing the Word of God.  Some also come to ask for donations to support orphanages; most often they turn out to be thieves. For example, a suspect who claimed to be raising funds for the Christ the King Orphanage at Oyibi was seen walking out of a room with a laptop belonging to a student.

2.   FRAUD BY FALSE PRETENCE

Students should also take note of people who approach them for directions because some of them are confident tricksters and always end up defrauding them.

A student reported that a man asked her for direction to Christ Ministry on campus. After showing him the direction the man engaged her in conversation and told her that all her belongings were possessed and that her room mates were the cause.  During the interaction a second person joined them and confirmed the suppose revelation.   Based on the advice of the men she went to her room and brought her ATM card and GH¢30.00.

The men claimed they could perform miracles and prayed with her. The men asked the lady to go back to her room to pray and come back. She did as directed and came back to find that the tricksters had gone with her items.

Another student was on her way from “TF” Hostels to campus for a church service when she was engaged in a conversation by the two men. The men asked for direction to “FT” meaning “TF” to meet a friend for a prayer meeting. As they walked along, they claimed they had a revelation that the lady’s “pen drive” is possessed by demons and that she will go blind if she continues to use it. 

They asked the lady to go and bring her laptop and her phone which she did. The men took the lady to the front of the Balme Library and asked her go to Volta Hall to buy water for the cleansing rites. She returned from Volta Hall only to discover that the men had bolted with her items.

 A student who was also returning from town to campus met a man at the Athletics Oval. The man asked for direction to Pentagon. After he was shown the way, he told the student to be careful and not to walk bare-footed.  He also told her not to share anything with her roommates because all items in the room were possessed. The man asked the lady to bring her belongings for cleansing.  The lady went to her room in Legon Hall and brought her laptop, phone, a Bible and GH¢10.00 to be cleansed.

When she brought the items she was asked to go back to her room and pray.  She returned from her room only to realize that the man was gone.

3.    BAG SNATCHING

The incidence of bag snatching is one of the crimes on campus.   Students should therefore be cautious when carrying their bags around. Students are advised to desist from carrying valuables in their bags.

 The following incident happened between Evandy and TF hostel.  A student saw two young men coming from Ghana Hostels when they met at Evandy junction one guy got  close to her and snatched her hand bag and fled into the bush. The bag contained her student ID card, National Health Insurance Certificate, Alliance Francais Library cards, a Blackberry mobile phone and cash of GH¢20.00.

4.    CAR BREAK – IN

Car users are advised to observe safety precautions and be security conscious. Students are advised to desist from parking their cars at isolated areas particularly late in the evening.  Students with vehicles are advised to avoid leaving valuable items, such as, laptops, phones, digital cameras in their cars because these items attract thieves. Several cases of car break-ins have been reported.

The following narration is one of such incidents. A student parked his VW Golf Car at 7:25am at the Jones Quartey Building car park and left for lectures. He returned at 11:25am and detected that thieves had broken into the car and made away with his laptop and scientific calculator.

5.   ATTEMPTED RAPE

Beware of Rapists

Students, especially females, should avoid using lonely and solitary areas such as the Nania Park footpath and Old N Block late in the evening. Some unscrupulous men use these places as their hide out to inflict harm on students. A female student had the unpleasant experience of being assaulted by a man around the Nania Park. A man met the student and asked her to assist him rescue a school boy who had been purportedly abducted by an unknown man. As they walked towards the Rugby Pitch, the man grabbed her in an attempt to rape her. The lady managed to free herself from the rapist’s grip and escaped.

I wish you the best of Luck in the Second Semester.

Afihyiapa!!!