Thieves broke into almost 50 Recreation Center lockers since July 24, 1991, with 36 of the thefts happening this semester, University Police said Tuesday.

And the thieves mostly are targeting men. “Most of the thefts have occurred at the men’s locker room at the rec center,” UP Sgt. Ralph Taylor said.

The rec center staff is working with the UPs to bust whomever is stealing students’ belongings from the locker room area, Taylor said. “The rec center staff is very concerned. They are doing walk-throughs of the locker room because of the number of thefts that have occurred,” he said.

The thieves are snatching whatever they find in the lockers. Wallets, jewelry, money, credit cards and clothes have been stolen, he said.

Often the thefts are from lockers secured with combination locks, Taylor said.

Recent thefts include an April 2 incident, Taylor said. A man told police that his brown eel skin wallet containing $100, a $15 copy card and other credit cards was stolen from a locked rec center locker. The lock also was stolen, police said.

Students should think twice before storing expensive items in locked or unlocked on-campus lockers, Taylor said. “My advice would be ‘leave your valuables at home,'” he said.