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Confusion over alleged Catz break-in

Students at St Catherine’s College were informed of an attempted break-in on college accommodation on Saturday morning, although this has since been denied by the college, who claim it was a “complete misunderstanding.”

In an email sent out to all St Catz students on Saturday morning, the
Junior Deans wrote, “This morning at approximately 5.30 a student reported that a man had tried to enter their room, repeatedly rattling
their door before continuing to walk around the staircase.”

Despite the police being called and the college being searched, the burglar was not identified. The Deans also expressed concerns that a number of students do not lock their rooms, reminding students that “Catz is an open college, and while instances such as this are rare, they certainly need to be considered. It is very important that you lock your doors at night.”

Despite the email being sent out warning students of the reported  intrusion, St Catz Dean Adrian Smith sought to reassure students. Speaking to Cherwell, he maintained, “This has been tracked down and dealt with, it was not a break in. The email went out as a precaution and the student bodies have been made aware.”

A spokesperson for the college told Cherwell that the whole incident was a “complete misunderstanding”, although the college refused to develop further on the origin of the confusion.

This is not the first time that St Catz have experienced security issues. Back in 2009, a similar intrusion was reported, and items worth close to £300 were stolen from college premises.

A visiting Economics student at St Catz, told Cherwell, “I think it is important that students should feel safe and protected. But in an open college like St Catz, it is quite difficult for porters to check everyone who enters the college, so Catz students should be more cautious with leaving their doors unlocked. In my opinion, the college responded to this iincident quite effectively.”

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