As the new school year is now in full swing, South Bend police are seeing an increase in robbery and larceny towards students, according to South Bend Police Capt. Phil Trent.
"We are seeing an up-tick in robbery and larceny as students walk alone or in twos in the middle of the night, through dimly lighted areas," he said in an e-mail. "We see this every year, just as we see a spike in burglaries during Christmas break."
Two robberies were reported by Notre Dame students last week, according to a South Bend Tribune report.
The report said a 19-year-old student told police he was tackled and robbed by two men last Tuesday. One man claimed to have a gun.
The student, who was walking down Notre Dame Avenue around 10:30 p.m., told police his backpack and wallet were stolen. The backpack contained the student's laptop computer.
Another robbery was reported earlier that week by two female students who were also tackled by two men on Notre Dame Avenue about 1 a.m. Aug. 30, the Tribune report said.
Trent said students should take precautionary measures when choosing to walk off-campus at night, especially after a few drinks.
