News | Friday, 19th October 2012
How to be safe in your student home
Visit our 'mock' house on campus (October 26)
A MOCK student house which highlights ways to protect yourself from burglars and opportunist thieves, is to be set up at MMU's All Saints Campus.
The house which is furnished like a living room will be set up and displayed at the Business School-Student Hub on Friday, October 26. from 10am-3pm.
The display which depicts typical university accommodation complete with cans of beer and bottles of leftover wine is designed to highlight to students that while their home may appear the same their items have indeed been taken.
The initiative is designed to highlight the risks of leaving valuables on view and shows the vulnerabilities of advertising their items in such a way.
Hard lessons
Student Safe Inspector, Andy Smith of Greater Manchester Police, said: “Moving out of your family home is the first step of your adult life but like every new experience it is filled with challenges and new things to be learned. Among the most important of these lessons is that of home and personal safety.
“The aim of our initiative is to highlight to students that it’s not just the monetary value of the items that have been stolen but also the irreplaceable value they hold. Laptops alone contain music collections, photos and for those second and third year students lecture notes and work that would contribute to your final grade.
“In addition to the increased patrols in the student areas our teams have been delivering safety talks for new students urging them to be security savvy and have presented them all on a crime prevention pack. They have also be shown a short film featuring Manchester students talking about their own experiences as victims of crime before discussing methods of how to keep themselves and their property safe.”
Figures show that between 10 September and 14 October 2012, 80 student homes were burgled. Forty-eight of these could have been avoided if the homes had been made secure.
Operation Harvest
Since September police have been bringing in the criminals that are targeting students as part of Operation Harvest, a Forcewide crackdown on thieves, thugs and fugitives. It has seen officers carry out 92 search warrants. 1,483 home visits to persistent and prolific offenders and give face to face crime reduction advice to more than 7,000 residents. Officers also arrested 802 offenders for crimes involving theft and violence.
Inspector Smith, who will be joined by university beat officer PC Scott Schofield at the event, added: “We would like students to take heed of the crime prevention advice we offer, help us to help you. By taking a few simple precautions you can reduce your chances of becoming a victim of crime.”
For more information on student safety visit: gmp.police.uk/students or like our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/mcrstudentsafer. The page has been created by GMP, Manchester City Council and the universities. It includes updates on crime in your area and features useful information and advice on how to stay safe, such as:
Lock me – 1 in 3 burglaries are a result of an open or unlocked door or window
- Keep windows and doors locked and secure
- Leave a light on, make it look like someone is in the house
- Put your valuables away – don’t like prying eyes see what you have *this includes boxes for new electrical goods
Use your alarm – when going to bed or leaving the house
Hide me – keep all valuables out of sight
- Don’t be a target – walk and travel in groups and arrange a meeting place in case someone gets lost
- Walk in a well-lit area and avoid shortcuts such as alleyways and carparks
- Do you know where you are – know your surroundings and keep valuables out of sight
- Need a cash machine – use it in daylight hours or even get cashback at a supermarket. Always be swift in putting cash away and never write down your pin
- Feel in danger – walk to a nearby shop or garage and ask for help. You can also make use of the Student Safe Zones if you’re walking along the Oxford Road/Wilmslow Road corridor
