MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Officers from the Minneapolis Police Department and the University of Minnesota will began patrolling the Dinkytown area near the university in an effort to curb violent crime, school and law enforcement authorities said Monday.

Dinkytown has been a popular spot for students over the years and is home to numerous restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and apartments. Crime near campus has surged recently, much of it in the neighborhood that borders the university.

Five people were shot and wounded Friday after an altercation between a man and a woman outside Blarney Pub and Grill. The man opened fire, hitting the woman and four bystanders, the Star Tribune reported.

“We are working around the clock to ensure that every member of our University family feels safe and supported in every sense of those words, even amidst these alarming incidents and trends,” university President Joan Gabel wrote in a message to students and employees. “We know we must do more to address crime in the surrounding neighborhoods.”

Last month there were 15 robberies, 15 car thefts and 11 aggravated assaults reported in the Dinkytown area, according to the university’s Office for Off-Campus Living. In many of the recent robberies, suspects brandished firearms and assaulted victims.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.