In Fresno, more specifically the surrounding Fresno State community, safety after hours is at a premium.

Throughout campus there are safety stations, University Police officers on duty and escort services available upon request. Perhaps due to all of these precautions, the University Police Department website reports a significant drop in reported crimes since 2008.

But the recent spike in serious crime, including two drive-by shooting incidents in the last three months, has left students who are on campus at night, including those employed by the university and those attending class after the sun goes down, fearful of what might happen on the walk to their car.

In the past, partly for safety reasons, students who worked late hours on campus were allotted parking permits in staff lots, making the walk to their car shorter and safer. This year, however, The Collegian’s editorial staff and Associated Students, Inc., among others, were denied these passes. Many of these students are relegated to waiting for UPD’s escort service or walking through the campus in fear.

Consider some recent crime alerts.

From Sept. 19: At the Bulldog Village Apartment Complex, “three Asian male adults approached the victim, displayed a gun and told him to give them his property.”

From Sept. 25: On Bulldog Lane, “four unknown black males approached the student and asked to see his cell phone. The student said no and attempted to walk away. One black male displayed a silver semi-automatic handgun. The student ran into the fraternity house to get help. As the student ran into the fraternity, the black males assaulted and took property from a non-student on Millbrook. The black males then got into a vehicle and fired two shots toward the fraternities.”

From Sept. 27: On Shaw and Maple Avenues, “the suspects asked the victim to give them his property. When the victim told them he did not have anything in his possession, one of the suspects lifted up his shirt, and displayed a gun in his pants waistband.”

Considering the vast majority of crime alerts issued by UPD have stemmed from incidents that occurred after sunset, it’s time for the authorities to take action.

UPD is not to blame for any incident that occurs on or near campus. The fault clearly lies with the perpetrators of the crime. But UPD, by definition, is charged with the responsibility of protecting us and fostering a climate of safety. And, judging by the evidence, UPD is, at best, ineffective.

The parking situation is putting employees in a situation where they must choose to either park off campus, where almost all of the criminal incidents take place, or park in distant, “special” lots. There is no evidence to suggest that the victims of the recent crimes were a result of employee parking. Sometimes the events happen to non-Fresno State students.

But the issue at hand deals with whether or not UPD traffic operations is doing its due diligence in ensuring our campus is a safe place for everyone involved, and no potential areas of concern are being simply overlooked.

Simply put, UPD needs to do a better job of protecting us.

Students employed by the university should not have to walk to their cars in fear. Students who, because they support themselves during the day, attend class at night do not deserve to be unsure of their safety on the long trek back to their vehicles.

The recent rash of crime is unacceptable. And the onus falls on UPD to turn that around.