Student houses often target for burglars
Students cities are playgrounds for thieves looking for things like laptops. In the first months of this year, the police in Nijmegen conducted random theft testing and found that one out of six break-ins concern student rooms.
In Groningen, most burglaries take place in student houses. In Leiden, it concerns five to six burglaries in student accommodation every month, daily newspaper De Pers reported.
It is not known how many students fall victim to burglary in the Netherlands. A reported theft does not say whether it took place in a student residence or in a ‘normal’ house. But after hearing the painful stories about stolen laptops and lost thesis papers, student cities are warning their young people to be more on the alert for burglars.
“Here, most burglaries are ‘flipper break-ins’,” says Paul Heranus of the Groningen police force. “If a front door is not double locked, intruders can easily ‘just open the door’. When there are no signs of force, the insurance will not pay for it. ”
Groningen has appointed two student officers, who will only deal with student cases (hazing, stolen goods, break-ins). On Twitter and Facebook the officers give anti-theft tips and inform students to call 112 when they catch a thief red-handed.
The students in Leiden also receive warnings from the police, university and municipality. “The theft safety of their room is the last thing on their mind. We understand that, but it makes them vulnerable to occasional burglars “, says Ilse de Heer of Police department Hollands Midden.
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