Burglaries around the Georgia Southern University campus during the Christmas holidays decreased significantly, compared to the high number of burglary incidents reported during the Thanksgiving holidays, Statesboro Police Chief Stan York said Tuesday.
      Dozens of apartments around the campus were burglarized during the week-long Thanksgiving break, but increased patrols and the arrests of several suspects likely sent the message to would-be burglars that police were on the ball, he said.
      Statesboro Police Capt. Scott Brunson said 16 burglaries were reported in the GSU area during the 14-day Christmas break that began Dec. 17 and ended Dec. 31. Of those burglary incidents, "eight are still actively being investigated, five were cleared by arrests, and three were exceptionally cleared."
      That means either there was no evidence to lead anywhere, or the victims decided not to prosecute, he explained.
      The fact that both Statesboro police and Bulloch County Sheriff's deputies made a number of arrests in previous burglaries, as well as the fact that law enforcement publicly announced there would be extra patrol efforts, most likely played a part in the number of burglaries being reduced, York said.
      Officers arrested three burglary suspects Christmas Day and another suspect in a different burglary the following Sunday.  Those arrests followed the apprehension of six juveniles and two adults, all suspected of burglary, the previous week.
      While the largest number of burglary incidents reported appeared to be concentrated around the university campus, law enforcement agencies continue to patrol all areas, he said.
      York said cooperation between the three law enforcement agencies - Statesboro Police, Bulloch County Sheriff's Department and Georgia Southern University Police - has been successful and will continue as an effort to prevent area burglaries.
      "We will still maintain our vigilance," he said. "We will continue to have extra personnel patrolling the 'hot spots.'"
      Brunson, who supervises the SPD Criminal Investigations Division, added he felt his department and the patrol division were " ahead of the curve" during the Christmas holidays because of intense patrol and the recent burglary arrests.