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Insurance

Student digs at risk of burglary

Christina Hoghton
Written By:
Christina Hoghton
Posted:
Updated:
13/09/2017

An estimated £25m-worth of goods have been stolen from students in past three years

One in four students are victims of theft during their time at university, according to Direct Line.

The insurance firm said that students across the UK are left vulnerable to theft as burglars target their accommodation. It found that since 2014, students have lost almost £25m to thieves, as they become easy prey in university towns.

City thefts

A massive 80% of student thefts occur at city universities, making campus universities four times safer to attend. Over 660,000 students are burgled in the UK every year, which equates to around 1,800 pupils preyed on every single day.

Surprisingly, students are no safer living in halls as thieves appear to be undeterred by the extra security measures provided by universities. Students living in halls on campuses, however, were the safest in the country, with only one in 10 falling victims to burglars.

Boys living in halls of residence at university were almost twice as likely to be victims of theft as girls.

Tech targeted

In the past three years alone, thieves have stolen almost £2m-worth of students’ laptops, as mobile phones come second in the list of most commonly stolen items, followed by money and bicycles.

Dan Simson, head of home insurance at Direct Line, said: “Heading off to university is a daunting and exciting time; insurance is likely to be the last thing on any student’s mind as they prepare to embark on the next stage of their lives, without the safety net of their parents.

“When even books often feel too expensive, should the worst happen, nobody wants to be paying a fortune to replace their stolen possessions. Insurance is a relatively small price to pay compared to the hassle and cost of buying a new phone or laptop.”