One should not let presence of security guards mislead them. It is still quite risky to stroll along the sidewalks of Katipunan at night.
In fact, Loyola Heights according to the Quezon City Police Station 9 (the Loyola Heights police station), is prone to crimes involving theft and violence.
Morning Shift Investigator P02 Morell Carranza said that Loyola Heights is by far the most prone among all the districts of Quezon to cases of robbery.
"The most common type here is that of group robberies. In Loyola Heights, there exists what we call the 'Basag- Salamin Operation'." Carranza said in a mix of English and Filipino.
"Usually what happens is that a either a person or a group of people, breaks the glass windows of cars with valuables in them like laptops and etc.," he added.
According to him, Akyat-Bahay gangs also frequent the area as Loyola Heights is home to some of Quezon City's wealthiest. Even former Senator and comedian Vicente "Tito" Sotto was victimized by this gang in 2008. He was robbed in his White Plains residence, of some cash and certain expensive valuables. (http://www.pep.ph/news/17122/Ex-senator-Tito-Sotto%92s-house-victimized-by-burglars/2)
However, Akyat-Bahay cases have deteriorated throughout the years. Carranza said it is the Ipit Gang which Loyola Heights should watch out for nowadays.
"The Ipit Gang is a group of people who corner you and accuse you of crossing one of their members and then they beat you up and steal everything," Carranza said.
To 'Christine', a 4th year college student of Miriam college, it does not come as a surprise as she herself was once robbed near gate 3.5 of the Ateneo.
She was on her way home late one night from Miriam, when a boy suddenly took out a knife and pointed it at her back. She didn't give her bag so the boy slit the side of her waist. It was not a serious injury as Christine was able to go to the hospital after the incident. The boy however was never caught.
However Carranza assured that the police have it all under control.
"We have a 24-hour patrol car on standby under the overpass near the Ministop. Should anything happen we should be able to handle the situation. But so far, Loyola Heights is quite a peaceful district."
Picture taken from: http://www.quezoncity.gov.ph/images/Downloadables/cityindicators/safety.pdf
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