What is it with Otago University's proctor? First, they steal and destroy hundreds of copies of Critic because they didn't like the cover. And now, they're committing theft and burglary:
A Leith Street flat says University Proctor Dave Scott trespassed and stole their property when he entered their house while they were out and took several bongs/water pipes.
About three weeks ago, the proctor was visiting flats on Castle Street and Leith Street North to deliver letters about initiations. The entire flat was away, apart from one person who was asleep upstairs. The flatmates said the proctor let himself in through the unlocked back door, where he found several water pipes sitting out on a table and took them.
Because they weren’t home, the flatmates didn’t know what had happened to the pipes and assumed they had been robbed. They estimated the pipes were worth $400.
[...]
The proctor returned the next day, and told them that he had gone into their flat and confiscated the pipes. According to the flatmates, he told them that as long as they cleaned up the flat, he would let them off with a warning and wouldn’t take it to the police.
He wouldn't take it to police. In other words in addition to theft and burglary, he also tried to blackmail his victims into silence.
This isn't acceptable. A university proctor is not a police officer, and has no legal powers to enter property or seize people's possessions. He's simply a common criminal. And he should be prosecuted for his crimes and sacked. As for the university, they're meant to be providing an education, not running a police state. They should get out of their students lives, and stay out of them.
