A series of robberies is plaguing Nijmegen. Sunday, student complex Hoogeveldt was hit. SSH& and the local supermarket see no reason to take measures. ‘What can you do?’

‘I can’t say I’m shocked’, says Eshref Jerjis as he slices up an onion for a beef tartare sandwich. ‘It’s part of the deal these days. The Subway across the street was also robbed a few times. I guess it’s kind of in the air.’

Jerjis operates the small Sema supermarket at Hoogeveldt. Last night around 11 p.m., two students were the victim of a robbery at the SSH& student complex. The two robbers held something that resembled a firearm. According to De Gelderlander, the police don’t exclude the possibility that the incident may be linked to the robberies that have plagued Nijmegen over the past few months.

‘What can you do when something like that happens?’ Jerjis asks. ‘Nothing. The only thing I can do is to regularly empty the till so there’s nothing to steal here.’

Student and inhabitant Hilde Duzijn walks past the supermarket with her wheeled suitcase, on her way to her room. She’s surprised when she hears about the attack. ‘I wasn’t here last night. Maybe I’ll be more careful now. But you have to keep doing your thing.’

Round

SSH& complex manager Rob Jansen is upset the robbery took place in ‘his’ complex. ‘I came as soon as I heard. I did a round through the buildings, to check for anything unusual. But all was quiet.’

‘With cameras you quickly encroach on your tenants’ privacy’

He sees the robbery as an isolated incident. ‘Nothing like that has ever happened here’, says Jansen. According to the complex manager, there’s little to be done, since the attack took place in a public space. ‘Anyone can come here.’

SSH& manager Vincent Buitenhuis confirms that the student accommodation organisation will not take any measures in response to the failed street robbery. The SSH& student flats are not as a standard equipped with cameras. ‘And we’d like to keep it that way. With cameras you quickly encroach on your tenants’ privacy. And if we had cameras we’d have to do something with the footage. We can’t mobilise 24/7 surveillance.’