Storage Break-ins Simply Dismissed
Storage Break-ins Simply Dismissed
Throughout the summer, several students have experienced break-ins in their storage units. They’ve encountered bent doors, cut locks, and belongings scattered across the floor. How has this affected those involved, and what measures are being taken by SiÅs?
Journalist: Li Li Than Winn
Translator: Theodor Kalager
Theft Wave in Ås
Theft is not a new phenomenon in Ås. In July, the municipality topped the list for the most reported thefts per thousand residents, with Ås town center being the area with the highest number of reported bicycle thefts in the eastern police district. Student housing areas are frequently targeted, and this summer’s storage unit break-ins have contributed to the rising statistics.
CEO of SiÅs, Pål Magnus Løken, reports that the break-ins occurred in the student housing buildings Mølla, Kringla, Inferno, and Skogveien 24A. While Løken doesn’t rule out previous break-ins, this summer has proven to be unusually severe.
Frustrated Resident
While many students left for summer vacation, student Marie Tjelta stayed behind in Pentagon. One ordinary day in mid-July, she went to retrieve something from her storage unit and was met with chaos. “I was met with utter disorder in the storage area. Locks were cut, broken off, and some doors were even destroyed.” Her own unit had been broken into, and many of her belongings were damaged. According to Tjelta, items worth approximately 5000,- NOK were stolen. The day after, she contacted SiÅs and was the first to report the incident. SiÅs instructed her to file a police report and notify the janitors.
Tjelta replaced her lock and tidied up her belongings, but the area remained in disarray. The break-in occurred while most residents were still away, leaving many units open and unattended. On July 17, SiÅs sent an SMS to residents in Kringla, advising them to report the incident to the police if affected and to always keep doors locked.
Despite installing a new lock, Tjelta experienced another break-in just two weeks later. This time, her unit was again broken into and items damaged, though nothing was stolen. “I was extremely frustrated and felt unsafe living with SiÅs. I called them the next day and was again told to report it to the police - which I did, but the case was quickly dropped due to lack of information about the perpetrators.”
Lack of Evidence
In early August, the student building Mølla also experienced break-ins. Ingeborg Anna Fjelltrøen was among those affected and was also told to report the incident to the police. She finds SiÅs understanding but says they claim there’s little more they can do. To collect more evidence, Fjelltrøen asked SiÅs to install a surveillance camera at the entrance to the storage area. SiÅs responded saying that this would violate privacy regulations, which she found uncooperative.
She and other affected students filed police reports, but all cases were quickly dropped due to lack of evidence. Both Fjelltrøen and Tjelta faces the same answer and are stuck in an unsolved situation. “I could invest in more locks, but it seems pointless. You just feel completely helpless.” Fjelltrøen says, adding that she’s considering moving out of SiÅs housing after hearing about break-ins in other student buildings.
Unlocked Doors
SiÅs’ CEO says staff often find doors propped open with stones or taped over latches. This will prevent them from closing properly and allowing easy access to buildings. “When doors aren’t closed, it’s easy to break in.” SiÅs explains that the storage units aren’t built to withstand crowbar break-ins. They’re secure as long as they’re behind locked doors, so thefts often result from unlocked entrances. “Locked doors are therefore Alpha and Omega to keeping belongings safe.” After the July break-ins, SiÅs began posting signs urging residents to keep doors locked to prevent theft. However, neither Tjelta nor Fjelltrøen feel that locked doors have prevented break-ins.
Both Tjelta and Fjelltrøen agrees that entrance doors are sometimes held open with stones, but states that this is usually during moving periods. To them it’s rare to see the storage area doors left open. Tjelta recalls checking her unit the night before the second break-in and saw the door was closed. After this it was natural for her to assume that the break-in occurred in the middle of the night. She suspects the perpetrator may have had access to a key. SiÅs acknowledges this possibility: “We don’t rule out that someone may have stolen or found a lost key and thus used it to access the storage areas.”
Who Took the Christmas Gnome?
Stolen items range from a ceramic Christmas gnome to a foldable e-bike. According to SiÅs, valuable items should not be stored in the units. Fjelltrøen is aware of this but says she has no other choice due to limited space in her room. “I don’t have any other choice than to store some of my stuff in the storage unit, since I can’t fit it in my room, but I don’t really want to store anything in there.”
Fjelltrøen mentions that someone in her communal apartment recently bought a foldable e-bike and locked it to both the shelf and the unit itself, but this didn’t stop the thief. “It’s incredibly unfair, and we live in constant fear of our belongings being stolen.” She adds that she and the others in her communal want to feel safe in their homes and are asking SiÅs to take more action to reassure their residents. There is currently a surveillance camera outside Mølla’s main entrance, and Fjelltrøen hopes SiÅs will provide more answers.
Løken says they have a video recording that likely shows a break-in at Mølla. Based on the footage, SiÅs suspects the perpetrators are outsiders. However, the images aren’t clear enough to identify them. It’s also difficult to determine whether the same individuals are responsible for multiple break-ins. Løken refers to repeat offenders previously involved in bicycle thefts in Ås, saying they’ve been in student housing areas before, but he’s unsure if they’re responsible this time.
New Key System
Suspicions that someone may have found a lost key have led to an ongoing replacement of the key system in Pentagon. Løken says SiÅs is working to prevent future break-ins by tightening security and encourages residents to take simple precautions. He suggests regularly checking storage units and offers advice on what to do if a break-in occurs. Finally, he mentions that installing more surveillance cameras may be considered.
Tips from SiÅs: Measures to prevent break-ins
It is wise to check your storage unit regularly. Can you and your communal agree that someone always checks the storage unit in the evening?
Always ensure that entrance doors, balcony doors, and doors into the storage areas, etc are locked.
Have home contents insurance, and preferably document what you’ve stored in your unit.
Do not store valuable items in the storage unit
In case of break-in and/or theft: Always report it to the police and notify SiÅs both by submitting a message on your Unialltid page and by emailing utleie@sias.no
