An email sent to members of the English Faculty on 16 May warned of a “couple of recent incidents” of theft in the English Faculty Library (EFL).

The email composed by the Chair of the Faculty Board, Raphael Lyne, and the Faculty Safety Officer, Vicky Aldred, advised recipients to take care of belongings, especially in openly accessible areas of the library. Library users were also told to ensure that “doors which should be closed (requiring card access) are closed” as if not this “compromises the security of large parts of the building.”

A victim of phone theft in the EFL first warned students of their experience in a Camfess post earlier this month (02/05). They described the thieves as “two 30yr old men” who “distracted” students by asking for help “in Italian”.

The affected student has further detailed their experience to Varsity, describing the theft as “quite unexpected because it was in a library and the man was gone in five seconds.”

After tracking their phone online, the student noticed that the thieves had left “Cambridge really quickly”, causing the student to “wonder if they stole other items, otherwise, it was an expensive trip to Cambridge just for my phone!”

The student also praised the response of the English Faculty staff as “super helpful - immediately notifying security and other libraries to warn them, and then helped later with CCTV enquiries.”

When asked how the experience had left them feeling, the student told Varsity: “The administrative hassle was the most frustrating thing - thankfully I could claim via my parents’ home insurance. I was surprised that I wasn’t covered by college insurance. It was a bit of a nightmare trying to get my SIM card and handset providers to do the things I need them to do in order for my insurance claim to be successful.”

However, more optimistically the student remarked: “It wasn’t quite what I wanted to have to spend hours on whilst revising for my finals, but I’ll admit that it made a boring day in the library a bit more exciting!”

Similar style thefts have been an issue elsewhere. The Cambridge Public Library has posters around its building, warning users that thieves are operating in the area. 

These posters warn of “a stranger approaching for conversation and placing their book on the table over your mobile phone. When leaving: they take both the book and the mobile phone, it is often too late before you might realise this. 

A Cambridge University Libraries spokesperson told Varsity: “The theft has been reported to the police and University security have been notified of the incident. We would remind our users to be mindful of their belongings at all times and avoid leaving items unattended. Lockers are available to anyone wishing to use them.”