A spate of iPhone thefts have
been reported recently at
Bucks’ Newtown campus, and
at Arcadia, Ursinus, and
Haverford colleges.
The theft of an iPhone, or
any other item for that matter,
is a crime that can get any student
into an expulsion hearing
or worse, depending on the
stolen item’s value, and it’s
almost a guarantee that the
police will get involved.
Anyone who suspects their
iPhone or other belongings
were stolen is encouraged to
tell Bucks security personnel.
“Whenever we get a report of
something stolen we usually
get the actual Newtown Police
Department involved just to
get some extra help. A lot of
what happens in an investigation
of a stolen item depends
on the information that we get
in the original report, so we
encourage those who wish to
file a larceny report with us
give us as many facts as possible,”
said Mark Moore, the
Assistant Director of Security
at the Newtown campus.
Moore added: “Any surveillance
camera evidence that
might exist is also very helpful
whenever a theft occurs.”
Moore said he believes that
one of the biggest reasons why
people steal iPhones and other
things is not because they want
the item they steal for their
own personal use of the item.
Rather, he believes that the
main reason people steal is to
sell the items for money.
Reasons why people want
money include anything from
wanting to buy something they
feel they need to a bad drug
habit.
Because of their high market
value relative to other things
students carry around college
campuses, iPhones are an eyecatcher
for someone looking
for a big monetary score.
“The thieves don’t care about
the color of the iPhone or how
many features and apps it has.
They just want the money, so
they steal it when they have the
chance,” Moore said.
Moore also said that one of
the most popular places for a
theft to occur is the library,
since many students go there to
study, hang out with their
friends, or just relax.
Very often the students in the
library do not realize their
belongings are being taken
from their book bags that often
lie around unwatched.
However, he did say that
thieves usually move around
from one place to another to
keep anyone from getting suspicious
about them.
Ursinus College reported
four iPhone thefts in the first
week of February, and Arcadia
University had reported two
thefts around the same time.
The two suspects in the
Ursinus thefts were caught on
surveillance camera, and they
are thought to be the suspects
in the Haverford College
iPhone theft, where an iPhone
was stolen from a gym bag in
the men’s locker room.
There have been over 325
lost and found items at the
Bucks campus in Newtown
since the start of the Fall
semester. Since the start of the
Spring semester, 17 actual
thefts of items have been
reported, one of which was
from an unlocked car.
The theft victims seem to be
evenly divided between men
and women.
While the people who own
the items often assume they
were stolen, it’s also possible
they were simply misplaced.
“Many assume that the items
they had and now no longer
have are gone because someone
stole them, but in actuality,
it’s quite possible that the individuals
either lost or misplaced
the item, and this is quite possible
with the iPhones as well,”
Moore said.
Regardless of whether or not
the items in question are stolen
or simply misplaced, the theft
of iPhones is something that
will likely continue far into the
future since their features
make them a popular item.
However, with a little care
and the ability to keep an eye
on one’s personal belongings,
anyone can do their part to
keep their iPhones and other
things, from getting stolen.