7
Nov
2015
By Calvin at 10:33 GMT, 10 years ago
I found this story today in the Nottingham Post in which students are calling for some extra security after a number of burglaries along a street in the city centre where, presumably, a large number of students have their digs. A couple of them are asking for CCTV to be installed along the street and better street lighting.
The council have responded saying that they’re working with the police and landlords to improve home security and the police have advised students to practice better crime prevention and ‘not walk home alone after a night out’ (not sure why that should be relevant to their complaint, but I’m taking this from a newspaper report).
There’s no detail about the burglaries, save to say that it appears that at least one of them was committed extremely easily. Judging by what has been taken it also seems that the students are being targeted for their computer equipment.
Each summer, just before the Universities go back, I start making the point that students (especially new students) should consider their home and personal security as their number one priority. The reason is quite simple: Students are more vulnerable to crime
Home Office figures tell us:
Burglary – 2 ½ times more likely to be victims
Vehicle crime – 1 ½ times more likely
Violent crime – 2 ½ times more likely
Theft from the person – 3 times more likely
On occasion I’ve also had a moan at some of their landlords, a few of whom seem to pay just lip service to their tenants’ home security needs. However, I also know (because I used to be one) that young people need to be reminded about their heightened risks repeatedly and I do wonder sometimes if this is something that is done enough by the authorities – all year round. A few years ago in Central London (when in the police) I got a load of posters distributed to a number of students’ pubs. They carried a variety of messages including ‘Local student? Enjoying a pint out? How secure are your digs?’ I don’t know if the posters made any of them think about the security of their homes, but at least the authorities could say they had at least raised awareness.
So, if you’re a student living in digs and are not sure how secure your home is please complete the Home Security Survey on this website to find out how good (or bad) the security really is. It’s all free and anonymous and you can use the report you’ll be sent when you discuss the matter with your landlord.
CCTV along a domestic street may, on rare occasions, help the police solve a burglary once it’s been committed, but there’s no evidence to suggest that CCTV alone will make much difference to your risks. Better street lighting can help a little, especially helping us to feel safer, but again this will only have a limited impact on the security of individual properties along the street. What the students need in Nottingham and elsewhere is a decent level of home security in the first place and the wherewithal to use it.
Source: Nottingham Post http://www.nottinghampost.com/Students-prevent-thefts-spate-burglaries/story-28128840-detail/story.html
Home Security Survey http://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/home-security-assessment/468/home-security-survey--diy/
