Loads of dwelling burglaries have been carried out on student houses and flats in the town.

The majority of these crimes are taking place because communal areas and front doors are left unlocked.

Police in Bournemouth are calling on you, the students, to carry out some simple crime prevention steps to make life harder for burglars operating in the area.

Detective Constable Adam Woolman said: “Every year burglars target student properties in Bournemouth because many are left insecure.

“Items stolen in the recent spate have included laptops, iPads, mobile phones and even coursework on memory sticks and hard drives”

“All we are asking is for students to make sure their property is secure when the last person leaves. Don’t make life easy for these crooks – make a note of your serial numbers and passwords”

“Has your laptop/tablet got a tracking app on it to help locate it if stolen?”

To lower the chances of becoming a victim of burglary, remember the following home security advice:

• If you live in a block of flats that has a communal entrance, lock it when you leave and after you enter the block
• Always lock the front door and any windows
• Never let anyone you don’t know through a communal door
• Do not grant entry to people via an entry phone system, if you do not know them
• Remove keys from windows and doors and keep them near but out of vie in case of fire
• Do not leave valuables in view of ground-floor windows or external doors