Chris Coduto/Arizona Daily Wildcat Tucson Police Sgt. Ron Zimmerling talks with reporters outside Coronado Residence Hall Thursday afternoon about a renewed partnership between the University of Arizona and Tucson police departments to reduce the crime rates around the UA.

The University of Arizona Police Department and the Tucson Police Department have renewed their partnership to help keep UA students from being victims of crime.

There are several ways students can prevent crime, said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, UAPD spokesman.

"Both groups are committed to preventing crime and to making students aware of the dangers on and around campus," Mejia said. "We feel our students are very safe and want to keep it that way."

One of UAPD's efforts to prevent crime on campus is the Whistle Stop program, which was established three years ago.

The whistle can be used as a tool to summon help when a crime is taking place, Mejia said.

Students often don't use common sense when it comes to preventing crime because they get lost in the hustle and bustle of school, Mejia said. The whistle will serve as a reminder to exercise common safety practices, Mejia said.

The whistle also has contact numbers of police agencies and the SafeRide assistance program.

UAPD Chief Anthony Daykin said with the whistle TPD and UAPD will be able to bring about greater awareness.

The whistle will be distributed to all residence halls. It was also passed out at freshman orientations, fraternity and sorority housing, and is available at both UAPD and TPD.

Daykin said the community has had a positive response to the Whistle Stop program so far.

Safety tips are especially relevant for students now because traditionally people experiencing independent living for the first time are more vulnerable to being victimized, Mejia said.

TPD Chief Richard Miranda said as part of the partnership, he is re-establishing the Crime Prevention Unit, which will address the crime prevention needs of the community by educating citizens on crime tips.

TPD will first focus on crime prevention in areas with high populations of students, they will then branch out into the Tucson community.

Miranda said statistics show an increase in sexually related offenses, alcohol related offenses and property crimes in relation to the return of students for the fall semester.

The two agencies will keep track of these crime trends so they can better prevent them, Miranda said.

The most common crimes on campus are property crimes, including bike theft, backpack theft and car theft, Mejia said.

Theft crimes usually occur because a student is not paying attention to or has not properly secured their belongings, he said.

Even though violent crimes are rare on campus, Mejia said there is a potential for these crimes to occur because of the size of the UA campus.

Mejia said students can prevent crimes by locking all doors and windows, being alert, utilizing SafeRide and by walking in groups at night.

Students should also leave places they don't feel comfortable in since these can often lead to dangerous situations.

Students and staff should not hesitate to call 911 if something on campus doesn't seem right, Mejia said.

Pepper spray is sold at the UofA Bookstore and other areas around campus, but may not always be effective, Mejia said.

Some pepper sprays are not effective on some people, especially if the person it is used on is drunk or on drugs, Mejia said.

"With any device you have to know how to use it and when to use it," Mejia said. "You don't want to engage a person, and should know when to back off."

"It is a tool, but if someone doesn't know how to use it or is not alert, that tool becomes useless," Mejia said.