Burglars Targeting Student Homes in Rusholme

Posted under Blog by Ruth

Thieves in Rusholme have been hitting students as easy targets.

There has recently been a series of burglaries affecting students in the area. Items such as watches, laptops, cameras and games consoles have been stolen. However, sometimes the incidents are more serious, such as one girl getting her face slashed by an intruder.

The string of burglaries has led to the belief that student homes are being watched, and burglars target them when the students leave. Many agents add signs to their properties throughout the year, showing who it is let by. Many local residents are concerned that this is easily letting burglars know which are the student properties.

Some student houses are not kept in the best condition, where only simple locks are used on the backdoors, and back gates are not kept in good condition.

Some people have also been posing as BT engineers or fire safety officers and calling on houses. They have not yet been officially linked to the burglaries.

Letting agents Beech Properties are coming under scrutiny due to the state of their properties. Though they state that vulnerable windows use security grills, and that all windows are double glazed, the reality shows that this is not true.

Back gates have been easy to break into, kitchen windows are not secure, and many windows are not secured with grills.

Chief Inspector of Greater Manchester’s Metropolitan Division, John Egerton, stated that offences do usually peak at this time of year, but extra measures are being taken to help prevent the targeting of the student population.