Staff Report
There were 22 arrests for liquor law violations and 67 motor vehicle thefts on campus last year, according to a recent report from the UNM Police Department.
The statistics of all reported crimes on campus in 2007 include crimes like homicide, sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft and several others.
UNMPD spokesman Lt. Pat Davis said UNM's crime statistics have remained about the same over the past three years.
"UNM has consistently remained a safe campus for students," he said.
UNM has continued to have low reports for homicide, robbery and hate crimes on and around campus, while motor vehicle theft has continued to be the most-reported crime.
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Nearly 200 motor vehicle thefts have been reported to the UNM Police Department since 2005, and the second most reported crime is burglary, totaling 136 reports on campus in the past three years.
Davis said the cars broken into or stolen have been left unattended or with objects of value left out in the open.
"The vehicles that we see stolen are typically targets of opportunity," he said. "The vehicles that thieves are looking to take are vehicles that have personal belongings, computers or maybe books out in the open."
Davis said there are proven ways to prevent a student's car from being broken into or stolen.
"It is crucial that students do not leave their cars running and unattended, that students put all of their belongings away safely and park in a well-lit and safe area of campus," Davis said. "You leave your car an easy target if you leave on vacation with it sitting in South Lot or any parking lot for a long period of time."
Some crimes that have increased on campus are decreasing in Albuquerque as a whole.
According to statistics from the Albuquerque Police Department, the percentage of motor vehicle theft and burglary have fallen in the past year by a combined 11 percent.
Although the amount of burglary and motor vehicle thefts have increased, the number of rape and aggravated assaults remains much lower on campus than in the city at large.
Aggravated assault and rape have increased by nearly 20 percent in Albuquerque in the past year, but on campus there has been nearly no increase.
