University Police Services will mail 5,000 surveys to students, staff and faculty next week to gather information on victimization and safety on campus.

"Our questions are aimed at determining victimization on campus -- how much crime and what crime is out there that isn't reported," said Thomas Harmon, director of police services.

Other questions focus on student and staff perceptions of campus safety, Harmon said.

Results, which should be available next month, could allow the police to make better use of their resources, University police officer Cliff Lutz said.

"This (survey) is a form of community-oriented policing," Lutz said.

What the survey does not say might be as important as what it says, Harmon said. Survey results are expected to reflect reported crimes, but if unusual figures arise, further measures will be taken at that time, he said.

The data will be analyzed by Dassanayak Senarath, a doctoral student in the administration of justice program, Harmon said. The results will be published and made available to the University community, he said.

The questions are multiple choice with an optional short answer sheet for additional comments. To further encourage truthful and complete answers, the survey is anonymous, Harmon said.