By Neil Offen

noffen@heraldsun.com; 419-6646

DURHAM -- The Duke University campus saw fewer burglaries, robberies and motor vehicle thefts last year but an increase in liquor and drug violations, according to the school's annual crime report.

The new Clery Security Report, which the federal government requires all universities to file each year by Oct. 1, shows a marked decrease in the number of burglaries on the main campus in 2008 -- from 65 the previous year to 51. Also down were robberies, from 7 to 2, and motor vehicle thefts, down from 19 to 7.

Aggravated assaults, however, rose to 6 from 3 in 2007 while forcible sex offenses were the same -- 5 for both years.

"In general, it's a pretty good report," said Aaron Graves, the university's associate vice present for campus safety and security. "We like to say we're responsible for the improvements because we get the blame when the numbers go up. But in fact, the improvement is really from a combination of factors."

Graves cited in particular members of the university community taking better care of their property.

"That means locking your car, not leaving the door to your residence hall open," he said. "We seem to be doing a better job with those, and not making ourselves easy targets."

Graves also mentioned community members not parking in remote locations as another factor that has contributed to the decrease in property crimes.

"Those are crimes of opportunity," he said. "If you offer less opportunity, you'll have less crime."

Less encouraging were infractions concerning alcohol and drugs.

According to the report, liquor law violations rose to 320 from 301 the previous year and liquor law arrests went from 7 to 10. There also were 20 drug law arrests, compared to 17 in 2007, and 32 drug law violations, significantly more than the previous year's 7.

"We are working to curb those behaviors," Graves said. "But we think much of that increase is from better reporting and better police work. It's not necessarily that there are more students drinking and taking drugs. Our feeling is that's pretty much on an even keel. Reporting is getting better, and that's a good sign."

The report includes only crimes committed on Duke's main campus and immediately adjacent to it. It doesn't include, for instance, the murder of Duke graduate student Abhijit Mahato, who was slain at his off-campus residence near the beginning of 2008. The report, in fact, lists no murders at all for the past three years.