In less than a month, muggings in Gainesville have decreased from as many as 12 a day to five in the last two weeks.
Over the summer, the Gainesville Police Department saw a large number of robberies along Southwest 20th Avenue as students headed to their homes in early mornings, but the number of robberies has decreased significantly over the last few weeks, said GPD spokesman Keith Kameg.
"But our numbers are still way too high," Kameg added. "We want people to be very aware of what's going on."
UF and GPD are focusing on making students aware of the string of crimes that occurred throughout the summer, reminding them that the summer robberies could still affect the students.
Although the robberies around Gainesville have mainly targeted students, University Police Department spokesman Jeff Holcomb said on-campus robberies have not been as frequent as the city robberies have been.
Only one robbery at Corry Village was reported throughout the surge of crimes, he said.
Holcomb said the biggest concern with theft at UF was with small electronics, such as iPods, laptops and cell phones, and bicycles.
"Students are now in charge of their own safety," Holcomb said of the usual fall increase in crimes as students return for classes. "While theft is a problem, it's really easy to overcome."
He said many electronics are stolen when students leave their bags for a few minutes, thinking their belongings will be OK until they return.
Holcomb added that the Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol has extended its service by an hour to 3 a.m. to help students remain safe throughout the evening.
But despite the UPD and the GPD attempts at awareness, industrial and systems engineering senior Anna Kantizios said students often don't pay attention to the warnings and follow safety precautions.
"They refuse to be aware," she said.
Kameg and Holcomb said as students return to campus it is important for them to pay attention to their surroundings and never walk alone in the evening.
Kameg said a big problem with the robberies has been with students not calling the GPD first.
"They call their boyfriend, their parents [and everyone else], then us," he explained. "We really need students to be our eyes and ears."
