I write with reference to the article Four Per Cent Of University Students Believe Sexual Harassment To Be A Crime On Campus (online, April 23) and other articles that have appeared in the media concerning the study entitled Crime On Campus - A Myth Or A Reality carried out by Għaqda Studenti tal-Kriminoloġija.

The university uses several different strategies to ensure that security on campus is as tight as it can be without appearing to control the movements of its 11,000 users in an exaggerated way.

The University actions and communicates security and safety issues through various administrative departments and positions: the Precincts Office, the Health and Safety Officer; Estates and Works; the Communications and Alumni Relations Office and others.

These actions include persons who continually move around the campus precinct, both by day and by night, to identify any potential crime spots; CCTV cameras which can be utilised in the event of an incident; regular discussions with stakeholders; good lighting both on the main campus and on the ring road and other relevant means.

The work of the security guards and the CCTV system may not always be obvious to the casual observer and this is a security method in itself. Therefore, it is unsurprising that students may be unaware that key areas are in fact covered by security guard movements and/or by cameras.

Percentages presented in the study show that the overall perception of campus as a safe place is definitely prevalent among University students.

To the question "Is the University a safe place?" 47 per cent "agreed" that it was a safe place; four per cent of the students asked stated that they "strongly agreed" while 31 per cent said that they were not sure.

The crime that seems to bother most of the interviewed students is theft from cars and theft from inside campus buildings while other crimes mentioned are vandalism and plagiarism.

There is no mention in the study of any kind of violent crime being committed. Also, 81 per cent of those questioned said that they had never seen a crime committed on campus.

With regard to the library, every theft that was reported to the authorities was solved.

Either internal disciplinary action was taken or the police were informed, as appropriate. The cases were solved largely due to the CCTV surveillance which, as mentioned, is not always easily detectable.

With regard to parked cars, it should be said that the University provides a free parking service to designated users (staff and students with a pass and those with a visitors' pass).

The 1,400 car spaces are full from morning until night. There are notices at all the campus entrances that inform drivers that if they leave their vehicles parked on campus they do so at their own risk.

The University does provide some CCTV coverage in certain areas as well as regular spot checks in the parking areas but it would be impossible for the University to guarantee the security of each car parked on campus.

The University of Malta takes sexual harassment very seriously indeed and was one of the very first organisations in Malta to institute sexual harassment procedures for staff and students many years ago, including the appointment of two official sexual harassment counsellors.

The student whose interview is reported in the study was taking a course 10 years ago when her harassment is alleged to have occurred.

Since then, awareness about this issue has increased among both students and staff through the distribution of leaflets, through poster campaigns and talks which are organised on a regular basis by the University's Gender Issues Committee.

There are also many permanent images on the University walls which tell campus users not to put up with sexual harassment and informing them of the help available.

Another crime mentioned in was vandalism. When compared to other university campuses we are fortunate not to have a big problem with regard to graffiti and deliberate breakage of outdoor property.

The Precincts Office and the Estates and Works Office works continuously to remove any graffiti that are reported and to repair broken garden furniture and any other University property so as to retain the smart look of campus that we all enjoy. Deliberate breakage of internal property is rare.

As the GħSK students acknowledge in the conclusion to their report, students clearly find it difficult to differentiate between a crime, a contravention and a university regulation. However, the University encourages students to report to the authorities any activity on campus that they consider is inappropriate.