Call for police street patrols
THE Tasmania University Union is calling for increased police patrols in the streets of Sandy Bay after another attack on a student.
Three males accosted a 22-year-old woman at 10.30pm on Wednesday and punched her in the face after she refused to give them her wallet.
In the same suburb less than three months ago two students were viciously assaulted and robbed by three men.
Police believe the woman was able to escape without further harm this week only because she made so much noise, screaming for help in the otherwise quiet Princes St.
"It's obviously a serious concern when something like this happens," Inspector Peter Powell said yesterday.
"Members of the public should be able to walk around in the street, especially at that time of night, without fearing they'll be attacked."
While he described it as an isolated and probably opportunistic crime, he said police considered catching the attackers a priority.
TUU president Saleh Bintalib yesterday condemned the assault and attempted robbery, describing it as "deeply concerning".
Mr Bintalib said the union intended to raise its concerns over attacks on students with committee partners Tasmania Police, the Hobart City Council and the University of Tasmania.
"Everyone has the right to feel safe in the community they are in," he said.
"Of course we'd like to see increased police patrols, more CC-TV cameras and better lighting in the streets and those are issues we will be discussing with our partners."
Last night science student Sandra Exelby, 21, decided against walking home.
"I don't like walking home alone," Miss Exelby said. "I know things can happen I don't think it's a particularly crime-ridden area but when I walk home, every couple of minutes I'll look behind me just to be aware of my surroundings."
And she said she was concerned students, particularly women, were being targeted for their vulnerability and the likelihood they had valuables.
"If you're near uni and you look young and you have a backpack you're probably a student," she said.
"If you're a student you'll have a wallet and a phone because that's what you bring to uni."
Last night Miss Exelby arranged for a friend to give her a ride, but said things like night car-pooling or arranging for groups to walk together needed to be looked at.
Fellow student Scott Sowter, 36, said the university had done everything it could to look after students on campus.
"They've got the help stations here, they've got all the lighting areas, campus security in most places," Mr Sowter said. "There's not much you can do, people will always take the opportunity looking for a target like this."
There has been a recent council push for increased CC-TV coverage in the Sandy Bay area despite police previously saying the location was not considered high-risk.
with CRAIG HOGGETT
http://www.themercury.com.au/art ... _tasmania-news.html |