Even though the annual University Campus Safety Guide for 2009 released Thursday declared crime at the University of Wisconsin is at an all-time low, the Offices of the Dean of Students is addressing a string of robberies in the past few weeks involving students and Madison residents on campus and in the downtown area.

UW spokesperson John Lucas said even though the safety guide stated crime is at an all-time low, the Offices of the Dean of Students desired to release a supplement to provide students with information about the several robberies on and around campus.

The citywide muggings and robberies are not targeting students, but the criminals are opportunistic and are pursuing people who are alone and vulnerable, Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said.

“People must be aware that crimes do happen regularly and that they have to take the precautionary steps necessary,” DeSpain said. “There is a significant rise in crime, especially robberies and muggings, every fall related to the students returning to campus.”

The robberies both on campus and in downtown Madison are not occurring at an alarming rate or in any pattern, except for the connected armed robberies of a pizza restaurant and of various liquor stores two weekends ago, according to DeSpain. The MPD is currently working to identify the criminal, he said.

“The criminals that seek to target students very often aim to rob them between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. because this is the time when many students are out,” DeSpain said. “Students must therefore make sure to lock their doors and keep their windows closed.”

In one recent incident at a house party, one student discovered another student he did not know sitting in his room, yet he figured that he was a friend of someone else who lived in the house, said DeSpain. When he came back to his room later that night, his laptop was missing.

The MPD is in regular contact with the UWPD and the Offices of the Dean of Students to share information about these recent crimes on the campus and in the city because UW students are included in their district, DeSpain added.

Lucas said students must know about the recent crimes that have affected both students and non-students so they can make decisions that keep them out of harm’s way.

“Students should make sure always to walk with friends, to call 911 immediately if they are a victim of a robbery or any other crime and to put themselves in an overall position of low risk,” Lucas said.

Even if a student is drunk, he or she should call the police because the officers will be more concerned about the crime that was committed than the fact the student has been drinking, according to Lucas.

He added the more one drinks, the more vulnerable one is to these crimes, so students must take this into account before making their plans for the night.

DeSpain included one last piece of advice, stating students must be proactive in defending themselves against any type of crime.