Leeds Students Still Inviting Burglary

West Yorkshire Police performed a two-hour check on home security in the student-dense Hyde Park area of Leeds. It quickly became clear that many students in the area have paid no heed to the constant campaigning to raise awareness of the threat of burglary, with 80 student homes found to be insecure.

Given those figures, an opportunist burglar strolling through the area on that day would have been presented a fresh target every 90 seconds. Inspector Ian O’Brien, head of the Hyde Park and Woodhouse Neighbourhood Police Team, said, “These latest checks show that sadly a significant number of people are still not getting the message about locking doors and windows and being conscious of their home security”.

Leeds has, for many years, ranked as one of the top cities for burglary in the UK. The LS13 area, adjacent to LS6 area, holds the shameful title of worst burglary hotspot in the UK. Student areas are always targeted during the early weeks of the autumn semester because many students will be living off-campus for the first time and are less cautious than they ought to be.

Inspector O’Brien added, “It’s no secret that student houses are prime targets for burglars who know they are likely to find multiple laptops and other valuables within. If they can get in quickly and quietly through an unlocked door or window then they will.”

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