Theft at Vrydemalaan

Three break-ins occurred at the Vrydemalaan housing complex last week, according to neighbourhood police agent Paul Heidanus.

Agent Heidanus reported that the break-ins occurred after a suspect was able to climb in through tilted windows which were left open. The tweet went on to ask for further information from witnesses.

The apartment complex includes five buildings with container-style housing units and is predominantly occupied by students and recent graduates. The buildings, which are located near the CiBoGa terrain on the same street as the Infoversum theatre, are owned by housing corporation Nijestee.

Laptops and a television were stolen from rooms on the ground floor in several different buildings, according to Agnes Wolthuis, a resident of the housing complex.

Each of the buildings is three stories tall and has 57 studio apartment units. The buildings are only accessible by a gated entrance where visitors have to be buzzed in. Parking spaces for bicycles are also located underneath the buildings.

According to student police agent Matthijs Beukema, researchers looked for fingerprints at the site and conducted further research in the area, but the case is still under investigation.

Between January 2014 and May 2015, 128 reports of theft were filed from student houses in Groningen. Beukema says that windows and doors are often more likely to be left open in large student houses, which may make them a more attractive target for thieves.

05-10-2015