UBC reluctant to implement more security cameras on campus at this time

There have now been six sexual assaults on the University of British Columbia campus, and police believe one man is responsible for all of them.

The university says they have stepped up patrols and police presence on the campus and UBC President Stephen Toope said on Wednesday that the campus is one of the safest in North America.

In public areas, UBC says it has also increased lighting and light levels at night, but their safety plan at this time does not seem to include installing more security cameras in public places.

The university says they do have security cameras, but none are visible in the area of the latest attack, and if they are there, they are not obvious.

On Wednesday Toope said “this is a university campus. I certainly am reluctant to make a commitment at this point that the entire campus should be subject to surveillance.”

Simon Fraser University has security cameras, and stats show they have helped at least two other Canadian universities catch suspects in sexually motivated incidents.

“There’s no question that you can cover a lot more ground with a camera, you can do virtual patrols, you can accomplish a lot more with your security program by being proactive with camera installations,” says security expert Leo Knight.

UBC says it is very concerned about personal privacy and the committee which is studying where to add more security cameras on campus is expected to meet some time in November.