Don't be a statistic!

One in three students will be a victim of crime, here's some advice on protecting yourself.

IT SEEMS that on an almost weekly basis there are reports of yet another incident either relating to students or occurring in popular student areas.

First year student Jenny is finally making her weary way home, smoking a cigarette. It’s 4am on a Saturday morning and she has just finished her shift at a busy city centre nightclub. The seemingly endless terraced street is in darkness save the dim streetlights flickering above. No one is around, except one man who has been walking behind her for the last ten minutes. Unfortunately, Jenny doesn’t notice because she can’t hear anything apart from ‘The Killers’, which are blasting from her ipod.

“Yeah I take stupid risks all the time I suppose!” she shrugs. “But I work till late most Friday nights and can’t afford to waste my tips on taxis, so I just walk home.” So far she has always returned home safely, but take a look at the number of rapes that have occurred in student areas over the past few years and you will realise that there are plenty of students who haven’t been so lucky. In May last year a 21-year-old student was attacked after a night out celebrating her exam results in Fallowfield. “You hear of these things happening but you just never think they will happen to you,” says Jenny naively.

Every city has its dangers and Manchester is certainly not alone. Over the years areas such as Moss Side and Ardwick, which are close to the large Student areas of Rusholme and Fallowfield, have received a lot of bad press. Recently, more quaint areas such as Withington have been hitting the headlines, highlighting problems of a gang culture and gun crime. On 29th January two teenagers were shot and critically injured on Mauldeth Road West, a road on which many students live and walk along everyday. In November, a seventeen-year-old was shot in the leg whilst walking through Platt Fields Park; a crime in a student area on an otherwise quiet Sunday evening, which hammers home the risks involved in being a student in the city. It is easy to become desensitised to the potential dangers when shots are being fired and attacks on students are becoming commonplace. 

Aside from the obvious dangers of living in a big city, simply being a student can render you far more vulnerable to crime. Students and student homes are ideal targets for criminals. The average student has a laptop, an mp3 player, digital camera, mobile phone and many other appealing and expensive items. It is estimated that the average student owns around £1500 worth of valuables whilst at university. Crime against students is certainly very profitable, and as a result criminals can make up to an alarming £30,000 a day from students in Manchester. One in three students will be a victim of crime during their studies, and last year more than 7000 students found themselves on the receiving end of student crime.

One such student is third year Chloe. “Last year we lived in a house in a rough area and were broken into twice. I felt really unsafe after the break-ins and as a result spent most nights lying awake listening out for noises.”

The burglars caused Chloe and her housemates much more trouble than sleepless nights. “My mate’s laptop was nicked and she was in the middle of writing her dissertation. All her work was lost and she had to go to loads of trouble to get an extension. She also had loads of photos from her gap year which are now lost forever too. You can get house insurance but no amount of money will replace precious photographs or the weeks of hard work on a dissertation.”

Most burglaries occur as a result of a simple mistake or moment of absentmindedness. Student housing is especially vulnerable, and criminals know the student areas and know when students are likely to be away, making the Christmas and Easter holidays particularly prone to break-ins. Students make this all too easy. Two-thirds of burglaries take place when a door or window has been left open or unlocked.

Laurie, a second year Aerospace Engineering student, has had to learn this lesson the hard way. He found himself a victim of crime when he was in his own house. The bathroom window had been left open and the intruder had managed to climb through it using the grate intended to provide extra security to the back door.

Managing to sneak in undetected, he headed to Laurie’s room, the nearest unlocked, and stole an expensive laptop and mp3 player. After grabbing the most valuable items the burglar simply walked downstairs and slipped out through the front door, while Laurie was in the kitchen. “It sounds almost unbelievable that someone can be in your house, stealing from your room while you are downstairs cooking dinner,” says Laurie. “I suppose we didn’t think about locking the doors because you assume nothing will happen if you are in.”

The message from the Greater Manchester police is to be more aware of how vulnerable students are, especially those away from home for the first time adjusting to looking after themselves and living in a large city. When living in halls like Owens Park it can be easy to feel like you’re in a little student bubble and that nothing can touch you. The advice is straightforward enough and often can be classed as common sense. It is best to keep valuables out of sight in your home and when you are out and about. Don’t walk round with your ipod sticking out of your back pocket or your wallet resting in an open bag.

Some more useful advice comes from the university’s Student Safety Advisor. In a recent email he drew attention to the allure students valuables have for criminals. “The Police are reporting that there is a serious issue with criminals targeting the properties of students who leave the boxes of valuable items, such as laptops, outside by their bins. These houses are being deliberately targeted. Please do not leave anything on show and lock up securely, as the Police record dramatically increased levels of crime on students at this time of year.”

Superintendent John O’Hare of Greater Manchester Police says the number of students falling victim to crime is still far too high. “To stop this we need students to follow some very simple advice. It is really easy to make it hard for thieves by doing straightforward things”.

Although it is only what your parents have been telling you for years, try to stick to well lit areas and wherever possible do not walk around alone at night. If you really have to make journeys alone, invest in a personal safety alarm. These are available free from the Welfare Office in the Students’ Union. It is also important to check doors and windows are locked whenever leaving your house or even, in a case such as Laurie’s, when you are in a different room. The police are taking extra action to make sure student life in Manchester becomes safer, including more bobbies on the beat in well known student areas as well as officers handing out equipment such as UV pens with which property can be marked as a deterrent and a method of recovering stolen goods. 

 
Being a student in a big city is exciting, but all cities can be dangerous. Anyone can fall victim to crime, though hopefully by following the advice of both the police and your Mum, your student years should be a lot safer. “It’s about having a bit of cop-on,” says Chloe. “Since we have moved to our new place we have got a burglar alarm and always leave a light on if we are going out. We haven’t had any trouble so far this year and I now feel much safer in our new home.”

There are a number of people who you can contact to get further advice on safety tips. The Campus police officer is based in the Refectory Concourse and can be contacted on 0161 275 7042, and the Student Welfare Officer is based at the Student Welfare Centre in the Students’ Union First Floor, or call 0161 275 2945.