Burglars target students as they think they aren’t bothered about security.  In half of all student burglaries, no force was needed to get in the house. You may not be the most houseproud person but you and it’s contents are still precious!

Here's how to make sure your house is secure, whether you are away for two minutes, or two weeks:

• In halls of residence, be careful who you let in or who follows you into the building. Lock your bedroom door, even if you are just down the corridor.
• Do not leave your back door keys in the door, if you do get burgled, it is much harder to get a wide-screen TV out of a window! Take them with you or put them in a safe place.
• If you have expensive items, don't leave the empty boxes outside your house, rip them up and file them under a bin. Think about it - leaving the boxes outside lets the thieves know exactly what goodies you have inside your property!
• Make sure your wheelie bin is in your yard (unless it's collection day) and that your gate is shut and bolted. You would be surprised how much information thieves can find out about you from your rubbish!
• Use timer switches to turn lights on at night, these are cheap and available from the Union shop.
• Keep valuables away from the window, especially if your room is downstairs. Working on your laptop at the window is a blatant invitation to thieves.
• Properties that look insecure will be targeted by burglars. Try and make sure your house looks relatively neat and tidy. That includes the front garden/yard. We know that you may not be Alan Titchmarsh but even just clearing your front garden of beer cans from the party you had last month may just save you from becoming a target.
• If you have not already, mark your property. This can make it harder for a burglar to sell your property on and help the police to return items to you.
• Protect yourself with insurance. Keep a list of the make, model and serial numbers of all your items to help police track them down if they are stolen. For more information visit  www.immobilise.com

For further advice on how you can protect your property and stay safe, visit the Northumbria Police website.