Major burglary at Arts - thieves found master keys

An unpleasant surprise awaited staff at the School of Culture and Society when they arrived at work on Friday morning last week. 

On Thursday evening, unknown perpetrators stole laptop computers from offices across three floors in buildings 1461 and 1463 in the Nobel Park, says secretariat manager Jesper Sølund Hansen.

“Two offices had been broken into, and the cabinets containing the master keys to the remaining offices had then been forced open. The thieves have been clever," says Jesper Sølund Hansen.

In addition to knowing where the master keys were kept, the burglary also took place in the evening, shortly before the alarm system would normally have been activated. The thieves were thus able to work undisturbed, using the master keys to gain access to offices across three floors in the two buildings.

"The computers they stole are one thing. They also broke doors and cabinets. And then there’s the possibility that this will create a sense of unease among staff, knowing that someone has been inside their offices. That can feel quite intrusive," says Jesper Sølund Hansen.

An increasing trend

Unfortunately, the burglary at the School of Culture and Society is not unique, says Thomas Kaaber, head of information security at Aarhus University.

"The burglaries we hear about are all different, but there is a clear increase in the number. Last year, we only heard about one burglary. This year, we have already heard of five. We don’t know whether these figures represent all the burglary incidents that have actually taken place, as there is unfortunately no centralised procedure for reporting such incidents. AU IT has a guide for stolen or lost IT equipment. The individual departments and their associated IT support units handle theft incidents locally,” says Thomas Kaaber.

"It’s constantly about finding the right balance between an open and accessible campus and a degree of security that best prevents unpleasant incidents, such as the recent burglary in the Nobel Park. It is a challenging issue and a difficult balance to strike, and the level of vulnerability varies considerably from one department to another,” says Thomas Kaaber.

Simple, practical advice

In the wake of the recent burglary, Thomas Kaaber circulated a message to departments outlining a number of simple measures that may help prevent future burglaries.

Close the windows when you leave the office. Lock your computer inside a cabinet when you go home so that it is not on the desk. Keep an eye on who is entering and moving around the building, and politely ask people you do not recognise who they are there to see. These are some of the recommendations.

“But it should not be taken to extremes or become a source of irritation in everyday life. We are therefore constantly considering how many security measures are necessary before they begin to conflict with the open campus environment that we, by and large, want to maintain,” says Thomas Kaaber.

Procedures up for review

At the School of Culture and Society, secretariat manager Jesper Sølund Hansen informs that the burglary has, of course, been reported to the police and that they are now reviewing the procedures with the aim of preventing further incidents.

“I would prefer not to go into too much detail, but we are, of course, looking at how we might do things differently in the future,” says Jesper Sølund Hansen.

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Mie Skov Jeppesen.