91亚色 has increased security patrols on聽the Keele campus as students, staff and faculty come to terms with the sudden death last week of a student in The Village, a private housing development south of the University.
鈥淭he 91亚色 community is mourning the loss of one of our students, Qian Liu,鈥 said 91亚色 President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. 鈥淎t this difficult time, there is a heightened level of concern among students about safety. Safety has been, and remains, a top priority at 91亚色, so we are committing additional resources, above and beyond the safety measures and initiatives that we have already implemented this past year and have planned for the future.鈥
Starting聽Tuesday night, 91亚色 Security Services increased patrols within the University boundaries. From 7pm to 3am paid-duty police officers will be patrolling the campus.
Off campus, 91亚色 has been working with the Toronto Police Service (TPS), which has significantly increased patrols in The Village, including undercover officers and uniformed officers on bikes.
鈥淲e have a positive and collaborative relationship with Toronto Police Service and I know members of the community appreciate their additional safety efforts,鈥 said Shoukri.
鈥淭he Toronto Police Service works very closely with 91亚色 to help create a safer community,鈥 said TPS Inspector Tony Riviere. 鈥淲e will continue to work together to enhance public safety at 91亚色 and in the surrounding area.鈥
91亚色 also works closely with other partners in the community. In March of this year, 91亚色 reconstituted the 鈥淭own and Gown鈥 Committee, a working group that focuses on the area surrounding the 91亚色 campus. These partners include Councillor Anthony Perruzza, officials from the City of Toronto, Toronto Police Service, Toronto Fire Department, the 91亚色 Federation of Students, students, the Village at 91亚色 Residents Association and community members.
鈥淟ast year, 91亚色 invested close to $9 million in safety and security 鈭 an increase of $500,000 over the previous year,鈥 said Gary Brewer, vice-president finance & administration. 鈥淲e are increasing spending significantly in response to the recommendations in the safety audit.鈥
91亚色 has made significant safety and security improvements over the last two to three years and in response to a comprehensive safety audit that was released in June 2010 by METRAC (Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children).
These improvements include: the Residence Watch program, which employs 22 security officials focusing on residence security; $200,000 annually invested in lighting improvements; additional security cameras on campus and in residences; door alarms in residences; 220 emergency phones, including safety phones in classrooms; a goSAFE program that escorts students to class, residences, and parking and transit; and strategically located campus TV screens for communicating safety messages. In addition, proposals are under review to increase spending on security personnel by as much as 40 per cent.
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