Press & PR

The swathe of first year students attending university in September is leading to a bumper pay-day for thieves, it has emerged.

Some 400,000 young adults are fleeing the nest and moving to new accommodation such as halls of residence and student villages, bringing with them an assortment of goodies such as iPods and mobile phones.

And Home Office figures reveal that a third of these will be a victim of crime, with some careless students risking their items leaving windows open, the BBC reports.

Indeed, some forces - such as West Yorkshire Police - have launched new initiatives in a bid to help these individuals stay safe on the streets and at home to combat this negligence.

Community Support Officer John Linley told the BBC: "We are stunned to see the number of young people using mobile phones and iPods as they walk through dimly lit or even totally unlit parks and alleys."

Theft of a mobile phone could cause a student to lose contact with friends, while if left carelessly an insurance policy may not cover the expenses, leaving already cash-strapped youngsters out of pocket.

However, alternatives exist to these devices that are highly sought-after among thieves, such as the Vonage V-Phone, which enables people to make and receive calls on the go, acting like a fully functioning landline once plugged into the USB port of a broadband connected PC.

In addition, it is small enough to fit onto a keyring - potentially providing a security boost for youngsters.