Burglary
You probably don’t want to think about it because the thought of having your property stolen is quite simple a nightmare and you may feel you already take the necessary precautions, but the simple fact is that Students are 3 times more likely to be the victims of burglary than anyone else within Bristol...
Burglary
Take your typical student home of 4 or 5 students. Each of you probably has a phone, maybe an iPod, a laptop or computer, computer game consoles, the list of temptation goes on. Student homes are one stop shops to a wealth of electrical goods. This situation is made worse by the fact student houses often have little or no security and are unoccupied for large parts of the day.
It’s not just houses that are vulnerable; student halls and student purpose built accommodation are at risk too. Within you have guaranteed students and all the lovely valuables that come with them.
You might think, ‘so what, I have Insurance’. That may cover the replacement cost, but think about having your laptop stolen and as a result you lose months of research for your final year dissertation –SCREAM!!!!! It has happened before.
As a result it is crucial to take extra precautions. Before you start panicking there are a few simple points to remember that will hopefully protect your home and your belongings.
SECURING YOUR HOME
Really Important
You know it’s important when the text is bold. Mark your valuables and keep a record of the serial numbers!! (Store these on Immobilise) Truly the best advice when protecting your electrical goods is concerned. Property marking puts thieves off as identifiable property is difficult to get rid of and helps the police should it be found.
You can register all of your property at www.immobilise.com so that you have a chance of recovering it if it gets stolen!
When choosing your house it is useful to think about security.
What to look for
Make sure the front and back door have good, solid doors and frames and are fitted with a “Yale” type lock and 5-lever mortise deadlock (one that can only be locked from the outside and inside with a key). Avoid doors with thin wooden centre panels as thieves easily kick these in,
Key-operated window locks should be fitted to all downstairs windows and accessible upstairs windows, e.g. those above a flat roof or by a drainpipe.
Don’t accept weak, rotting window frames or louvered glass slats as these are very easy to break in through.
Ideally an outside light should be fitted to the front and back of your home,
Access to the back should be restricted by a lockable gate and have a boundary at least 1.8m high as this is where two-thirds of burglaries take place.
Are You In The ZONE?
"The ZONE" is an area of Bristol comprising Redland, Cotham, Bishopston, Ashley Down and Montpelier. These areas currently suffer more students house burglaries than the rest of bristol, due the high number of students living in the area, as well as the high number of houses in multipule occupation.
You can even join the Are You In The ZONE? Facebook Fan page
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