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ISSUE 768. SEPTEMBER 27 2004
free word - EST. 1972
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CARDIFF’S STUDENT WEEKLY
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LAPTOP ANYONE? ❏ 1 in 3 students
are victims of crime
LAPTOP: there for the taking
❏ 31 thefts of bags and phones since September 1 ❏ 3 laptop thefts in a week By Paul Dicken News Editor STARK FIGURES released by the home office this month reveal that one in three students have been victims of crime. Although Cardiff has a figure closer to one in ten, thefts from students in the city are running high before term has even started. In the last few weeks a man was arrested and charged with nine counts of burglary or attempted burglary. The man, posing as a student, went around student houses asking for help connecting up his own computer. He asked people to come
round to his house and help him setup his new computer. When outside, he told the person in question that he had forgotten his keys and had to visit his girlfriend’s flat to collect them. While the victim of the elaborate scam was waiting for the front door keys, the man went back to the empty house kicked in the door and stole whatever he could, specifically targeting laptops. Other burglaries have also been reported in the Cathays and Roath areas, but in some of these cases the doors have been left unlocked and the occupants have been unable to claim compensation because their insurance is not valid. PC Bob Keohane, Student Liaison
Officer for Cardiff, has urged students moving into private accomodation to be vigilant, and ensure all doors fitted with locks are secured when leaving the house to safeguard property and validate insurance guarantees. The police have stated that a lot of student homes are easy pickings for burgulars with five or more computers, stereos and televisions in each house, with these items often visible through windows, attracting theives. Laptops are an especially high commodity. It has been suggested that laptop computers are sold abroad for £100, a lot more than the value of a stolen phone. Three students were mugged carrying their laptops near
Roath Recreation Ground, and Lowther Road. PC Keohane, said that all the victims were carrying their computers in distinctive laptop cases, the reason the police believe they were targeted. He added that carrying a laptop in a more inconspicuous bag is often the best deterrent. There are products available that can trace stolen laptops. The Theft Trace program enables a three year registration period where a stolen laptop activated online can be traced. Homes are not the only area being targeted by criminals. Since the beginning of September thirty-one students have had their bag or phone stolen on licenced premises in
Cardiff. Police commented that although street crime statistics are relatively low, theft from clubs and pubs is very common. Catherine Andrew, a 2nd year Architecture student was at Club X last friday night, only to have her bag snatched while her back was turned, she said: “I went into the loos and put my bag down on the side of the sink, as I turned around, after checking my hair in the mirror, my bag was gone.” Although Catherine’s bag didn’t contain any money, the bag had high sentimental value and the contents was worth nearly five hundred pounds: “It had my purse, my digital camera, phone and make-up, my life basically. It’s devastating.”