While students took advantage of the holiday break to relax and visit family, thieves took advantage of the holiday break to cash in on students’ absence, police reports say.

The Carbondale Police Department reported that 21 residential burglaries occurred from Dec. 18 through Jan. 15 in off-campus student housing areas.

SIUC police reported four burglaries and one residential burglary during break. There were eight reported thefts under $300 and two reported thefts over $300.

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Don Priddy, Carbondale Police community resource officer, said students should take steps to prevent thefts while they are out of town.

The best thing students can do is to take their property with them, Priddy said.

Students can take a variety of other precautionary measures, Priddy said. Property can be stored with a friend who will be in town. Friends can also share the cost of a storage warehouse, he said.

Students should double-check locks on doors and windows, Priddy said. Buying new dead-bolt locks is a small price to pay to ensure the security of belongings, he said.

Jon Kluge, Carbondale Police Detective, said he suggests recording the serial numbers to help police identify stolen property.

Students should engrave property and record the serial numbers and dates of purchase, Theresa Mills, SIUC Police office supervisor, said.

It helps us identify belongings, Mills said.

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A house-watching service is offered by Carbondale Police for people living off campus who will be out of town. Residences on the watch list are patrolled by police at least once a day, Kluge said.

Police regularly patrol certain areas during break, Priddy said.

We have officers out in what we know to be student housing areas, he said.

Students living on campus should take precautionary measures even if their residence hall is closed over break, Steve Kirk, assistant director of Housing-Residence Life, said.

It is very important to make sure you have some kind of insurance to cover your belongings, Kirk said.

Students should use common sense when deciding what to leave in residence halls and should take valuables with them, Kirk said.

Kirk said while many off-campus thefts occur during break, most thefts in residence halls occur when school is in session.