Ross University to tighten security

Ross University
Ross University

Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) in Portsmouth will be putting several measures in place to tighten security following an incident involving one of its students.

“RUSM is concerned about crime and public safety in the Portsmouth community,” a statement from the school said. “We are continuing to work in conjunction with local police authorities to increase the safety and security of RUSM’s students, faculty, and staff, and members of the Portsmouth community.”

According to the police, on November 9, the student was found partially nude in the Cabrits area, with wounds to her body. The wounds are not life threatening and the student is currently being treated.

RUSM has described the incident as “an attack” and noted that campus security is working with the local police on the matter.

The school said several new measures will be put in place in conjuction with law enforcement.

“By the New Year we expect to see about 40 light boxes installed on campus and in the surrounding community,” RUSM said in its statement. “This is the first phase of a lighting project to help improve the security environment for our students, community and business members alike.”

Call boxes will also be installed on the campus and the surrounding community “to provide a direct link to campus security and local police.”

Additionally RUSM said it is working on an “initiative to establish a police post on campus.”

The school said it continues to work with local landlords to guarantee high quality and safe housing for its students.

“We are very interested in improvements the community and landlords could make including cutting weeds and placement of street lights to enhance safety.” RUSM said. “It is a long term goal of RUSM to have dormitories for first year students and we hope that a cooperative venture with community leaders and landlords could make this possible.”

The incident has been condemned by MP for Porstmouth, Ian Douglas, who stated that students have been enjoying the second town for the past 35 years without incident. “We have to join forces and join hands and do what we can to ensure that we continue to protect that investment,” he said.

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29 Comments

  1. possie-upset
    November 15, 2013

    the other day a student mash up my door of my vehicle while i was passing and they were drunk and ROSS couldnt care less… they never disciplined the student…when is the other way around they have the world to say! …yes the students bring in revenue to our country but they need to bring respect as well…its not only when one of theirs are the victims they have to remember the law…….

  2. concerned wife
    November 14, 2013

    while it is good that ross is doing more to protect the students ,what is in place to protect the security officers ???? the rapist,thief,and buglar comes with his knife ,gun,or what ever weapon ,but the same students that we are protecting is saying that the security with the mere baton and hand cuffs are scaring them ,so if the security has to protect them how is he or she going to do that ??? with what just being present is not enough the security himself has to have something to defend himself , Ross security has nothing to protect them self with if they are attack wile on duty.

  3. CITIZEN
    November 14, 2013

    I cant believe that Dominicans blame government for something we can prevent. Government cannot solve why your boyfriend not getting from you and have to go out and get elsewhere. Check yourselves, talk to your families. We are much smarter than that.

    • Concerned
      November 15, 2013

      You sound like an idiot.

  4. November 13, 2013

    Let me compliment RUSM ion their many attempts made to solve much of the problems in the student’s residential areas . That also involve the Goodwill , St Aroma areas , way to go RUSM .

  5. November 13, 2013

    Hello and good evening my people. I have said before that elected officials hold to many positions and they are taking away jobs from our citizens. Now Mr Douglas is the Minister of Tourism and he also hold another position besides Parl Rep so how do you all expect him to have time to address issues in Portsmouth. We have seen Assaults, Shootings and Homicides in Portsmouth but has Mr Douglas called upon the Police to explain to the public what plans they have to address and stem the crime situation in Portsmouth. We need accountability from Mr Douglas and the Police otherwise criminal activity will continue. It’s alway sad to see anyone being a crime victim but this crime wasn’t committed on the campus of Ross University rather it was committed on the property of a very significant and historical cultural location. So changing or adjusting the security plan of Ross University won’t do anything to prevent such incident rather the Police need a security plan for Portsmouth.

  6. sakafete
    November 13, 2013

    well there is some much to say when things happened but Ross security is a very professional force and students are forever being warned on a very regular basis to be careful of their movements, don’t walk alone, don’t go JOGGING alone,walk in pairs or with company secure their homes and valubles, be careful who they keep as friends,take the shuttles to their homes from school to name a few. its a very unfornately situation but thank god she was not killed like the Portsmouth ladies and others. I believe we need to continue community policing to guard against the woes of our society. they men who do these horrendous crimes have no heart. they have mothers,sisters, daughters, grannies, wives and female cousins. so woe be unto them for doing such evil works

  7. Sisserou
    November 13, 2013

    Stopping violent crime in Dominica should be the Government’s top priority. Period. No other national issue is as important as the safety of our people. I say with respect to Mr. Douglas – your “outrage” over this plague of violence is not “action” to cure it.

    Three steps the Government should take now:

    1. Last call for alcohol 1:00am – this is the law in most towns and cities throughout the world for the simple reason that a young man who is “fun” with 3 drinks in him at 11:oopm becomes out of control at 3:00am with 10 drinks in him. Anyone who has been in a club in the early morning hours knows exactly what I am talking about. Ms. Celestine was last scene at 2:40am at a disco on a Tuesday morning. Is there any doubt that her assailant was drunk or high? Do you think that the female med student was assaulted by sober young men who are simply evil? I say no. Noone (including this writer) is the same person after 6 – 8 hours of drinking. If patrons and bar owners do not know when to say when, then the gov’t must step in in the interest of public safety.

    2. Police foot patrols – Portsmouth is a small city and easily covered on foot. A visible police presence throughout the night would prevent roudy and rude behavior from escalating into violence. Give the new police academy graduates a “beat” to walk. The uniforms on the street would also give frightened locals the courage to go out at night again.

    3. Magistrate accontability – The criminal justice system is broken. Serious offenders are being granted bail with no accounting for the victims loss or saftey pending trial. Victims of burglaries, robberies and assaults see their attackers eyeing them on the street for many months even years prior to trial. Magistrates must be made to answer why this is and why minimal sentences are handed down for serious offences.

    Enough is enough. The time of hand wringing has passed. Let’s take Portsmouth back!

  8. Orange County
    November 13, 2013

    RUSM…they should look into contracting
    Blackwater USA for security purposes.

    • November 13, 2013

      Orange County.

      Hello Blackwter operated like a criminal gang in Iraq and they wasn’t held accountable for the war crimes they committed. We are a Demacracy and we hold people accountable for their criminal behavior. The crime didn’t happened on Ross University property therefore its the police responsibility to provide security to our citizens in Portsmouth.

  9. Corrupt_Bastards
    November 13, 2013

    I lived in portsmouth and i was afraid to leave my house at night in my own country & i voted Ian, now i ask myself for what??

  10. John Paul
    November 13, 2013

    When Mr. Severin warned about this He was discombobulated (To use one of His words)by the government Officials .Now the wave seems to be here we are scrambling to take measures!

  11. Ashamed
    November 13, 2013

    Ian, SHUT UP. You are a waste of a good name and even the time that I take to post this comment.

    • John Paul
      November 13, 2013

      Skeritt do right make You take the bus to Parliament when He passing in His security motorcade and You waiting on the side of the road

  12. INTERESTED
    November 13, 2013

    From what I have read, the incident occurred in the Cabrits area. While I appreciate Security being strengthened on campus, how is that going to protect students while they are off campus. Do we expect the students to lock themselves on campus and not go anywhere. What about those living off campus. The problem we face is the lack of patrol security at places like the Cabrits. It is a National Park and we expect visitors, both local and foreign to visit. So, in my view, until we are able to provide patrol security in those ares, chances of attacks on visitors will continue.

    • November 13, 2013

      That student could have been brought there from RU and attacked while there. She is the only one who can tell how that incident happened.

      • talk is free
        November 13, 2013

        She went jogging…

      • Ashamed
        November 13, 2013

        Attacked? Brought to the Cabrits? This woman was viciously attacked and raped in an unspeakable manner. Everyone in Portsmouth knew her. She jogged to the Cabrits every morning. All this crime has been going on in Portsmouth for the past few years and Ian, Skerrit and their corrupt government has been silent? Did somebody check to see if Ross was not standing behind Ian’s back holding a gun at his head so he could say something? These guys are useless and something should have been done 5 years ago.

      • John Paul
        November 13, 2013

        Maybe not She may have been intoxicated beyond remembering .

      • Anonymous
        November 13, 2013

        John paul , that kind of comment is unecessary , this young woman was viciously attacked.i sincerely hope she recovers soon and is able to identify her attacker.

      • Anonymous
        November 14, 2013

        If she was brought there why was she left there and how would hse be the only one to know that she was brought there? Flauderdale you need to beef up your AA and Diploma into a degree.

      • INTERESTED
        November 14, 2013

        Most of the students, if not all are from the United States. In the US, you hear of attacks on persons in various areas. We hear it on the news. Dominica is not the only place where crimes are committed like some people make it sound. Even we Dominicans are attacked when we go to certain places like secluded beaches, or when we leave our homes open. The point is that in today’s world, we have to be careful where we go. Therefore in secluded areas like the Cabrits, persons or visitors especially women, should NEVER venture tthere on their own. There are to many persons with a criminal mind just waiting for the opportunity. They monitor your movements and wait for the ideal time to strike. It is sad because we become prisoners in our own home and the criminals are free to roam the streets. Again I say that security patrols should be placed in those touristic areas.

    • Malatete
      November 13, 2013

      This will only speed up the time by which most, if not all students will be in residence on campus, to the detriment of those, who invested so heavily in private accommodation. I guess that is really what Hon. Douglas had in mind when he emphasized the effect these crimes have on that sector. It are not only assaults, thefts and hostility that the students are confronted with directly, but also an insecure environment in and around Portsmouth in general that would be a concern for Ross. Right now one has more visibility of the University’s own security service than the local police. That has to change and the latter have to become more pro-active.

      • Jayson
        November 13, 2013

        Very true. You see Ross Security very present and available patrolling the picard area night and day in FULL uniform. They even patrol on bikes.

        I have never EVER seen a uniformed police officer patrol in Porstmouth on foot after 6pm in the evening in my entire life.

    • Thoughts
      November 13, 2013

      While I agree that students should be able to go out and visit the island and be safe, they should be alert and be cautious. Most of them are from the US, do they just through caution to the wind in the US? No, stop on stop marks, they cross the street when the sign says, their doors are under lock and key.

      As much as we care about the students’ safety they too have to care for themselves.

      • deebee
        November 14, 2013

        I agree. They wouldn’t be this careless in North America without paying for it. It’s just common sense. Yes, the government has a responsibility here, but even countries with a thousand times more resources do not put cameras on every street and have every public park under guard. I live in North America and I don’t see police patrols on the level that people in Dominica seem to expect.

  13. confused
    November 13, 2013

    advice or continue to advice (whichever) the students that they should not go in secluded areas by themselves. Stop taking long walks/runs alone.

    • ?
      November 13, 2013

      I agree 100%… walk/jog/run/travel in groups of two or more if possible… no matter what country you are in.

  14. bagai moune!
    November 13, 2013

    i cases of jams and several island activities, improvise undercover securities and police from other parts of the country

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