Boat club thefts
A string of thefts and break-ins have shocked the rowing community in the run-up to Summer Eights, Vishesh Srivastava writes.
In four separate incidents across the last two weeks, crews have had valuables stolen from their boathouses whilst on outings. Worcester were the first to fall victim when thieves entered through Merton boat house earlier this month and apparently kicked down a weak connecting door. While mobile phones and credit cards were left untouched, cash, a watch and one member's clothes were taken, leading to speculation that the burglars were from the homeless community. Lincoln boathouse was also broken into, despite new security locks being recently fitted. Meanwhile six wallets were stolen from the crew room in Hertford boathouse, and cash has since gone missing from the apparently locked Jesus College boathouse.
These incidents have led to an appeal for greater police presence at the site, though Thames Valley Police have informed The OxStu that it is already included on their patrol path. Head Coach of Worcester College B.C. Rosamund Urwin told The OxStu: "We're obviously quite annoyed at the incident, but we've all got to be a bit more careful as there are quite a few people around, especially in the run-up to Eights."
27th May 2004