London is one of the safest places to live, work and study, but students are still worried that their rooms are a potential target for break-ins. But never fear! There are proven ways to keep your hostel safe and secure. Burglaries are common in student accommodations in the UK. With hundreds of students staying in the same apartment — each one often in possession of valuable a valuable phone and laptop — burglaries are likely to occur.
Leaving doors and windows unlocked is the leading cause of burglaries in central London hostels. Start with the necessary step of keeping all windows and doors locked even when you are in your room. But students can go a step further to secure their rooms with these anti-burglary hacks.
Keep Your Valuables Away from the Door and Windows
Situating your desk in that window that overlooks the street may sound like an excellent idea. However, leaving your charger, phone, and laptop on display will only entice burglars. Thieves will look for an opportunity to grab any of your items left in plain sight. It is therefore best to hide your valuables when you are on a night out or in the library. There are many secure spots in your room where you can tuck away your expensive jewellery and laptop when you are away.
Obtain Insurance Coverage
Student contents insurance may sound like a luxury, especially for a student with other bills to pay. However, this could be worthwhile and may pay off in the long run. However, students should note that their contents insurance only covers those items that are stolen or damaged inside their room. Don’t panic if you aren’t yet covered; instead, search for cheap student content insurance online.
Throw Out Expensive Packages
Perhaps you have just used all your savings to upgrade to a new laptop or Android tablet. Never dispose of the boxes of these expensive items right outside your room. Instead, break all boxes down and cover them with either cardboard or papers before throwing them out in the recycling bin. This prevents potential thieves from finding out you possess items they may be interested in.
Don’t Invite Everyone to Your Room
You might want to be polite and let in everyone who knocks on your door. However, this practice can be dangerous for a student living in residence halls. Allowing anyone into your room could give them access to communal areas and flats where they can steal other valuable items. While this can sound rude, it is sometimes more prudent to let a stranger know that you can’t let them into your room for security reasons.
However, burglaries still happen even with all these precautions. Being a break-in victim can be traumatizing. But there are a host of measures to take if you find yourself in a break-in situation.
You probably spend much of your campus life having fun. But it is always wise for students to be vigilant and stay safe while at school. Your school hostels should have CCTV cameras, but that is often not enough to keep burglars away. Instead, be wary of stalkers who often come up behind you while locking or unlocking your room.
