11:12am Wednesday 10th October 2007
By Paul Keaveny
CRIMINALS are raking in up to £30,000 a day by targeting students, new police figures reveal.
Greater Manchester Police statistics are based on estimates that an average student has around £1,500 worth of valuables, including laptops, mobile phones, MP3 players and digital cameras.
During the last university year in Bolton, 572 students were victims of crime, along with nearly 7,000 students in Manchester and Salford - resulting in an average of 20 incidents a day across Greater Manchester.
The figure is 12 per cent down compared to the previous year, but police say more needs to be done to make students take note of crime prevention advice.
Officers say students often walk around with their valuables on show, making them easy targets.
And two thirds of all student burglaries happen because doors and windows are left open or unlocked.
Now police have launched a drive against the thieves who target students.
Operations will involve high-profile policing of student areas, monitoring of CCTV cameras, covert surveillance operations, intelligence gathering, targeting of potential offenders and the distribution of crime prevention advice.
PC Roger Clarke, of Bolton Police, said: "We need students to make it hard for thieves by doing straightforward things such as keeping valuables out of sight, always being aware of what's going on around them, keeping to well-lit and busy areas and shutting and locking all windows and doors, even when they are at home."
Beverley Parkinson, the University of Bolton's student customer service manager, said: "Student safety and security is of paramount importance.
"We already work very closely with the police on running crime prevention initiatives and hold monthly drop-in sessions for students with the police liaison officer."
Advice on safety, possessions insurance and security is given to all new students at induction events in the autumn, and information is provided in the student diary and on posters.
Mrs Parkinson added: "A mobile phone campaign is being held over the next couple of weeks, giving students the opportunity to register their phones.
"A crime prevention workshop is being held in November and we will be working with landlords to improve security for students renting homes."
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