Beware, police ‘thieves’ are about!

Jan 21 2009 by Joanne Douglas, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

STUDENTS at Kirklees College could find their possessions have been ‘stolen’ by police.

Officers will be leaving ‘virtually stolen’ cards or stickers on items such as bags or mobile phones left unattended.

Tomorrow they will be doing the same at the university.

They hope the stickers and cards will make it easy for students to realise how easy their belongings could have been stolen for real.

It will also underline the importance of personal responsibility among students.

Uniformed and non-uniformed officers will be touring the college site off New North Road today as part of a crackdown on theft.

Insp David Glover, of the Huddersfield South Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), has been working with the college on the Virtually Stolen campaign.

He said: “Hopefully the stickers and cards will remind students to keep their possessions safe and encourage them to think twice about where they leave their things.

“It is all too easy to put something down without thinking and then turn around a few minutes later to see it has gone.”

Any items police see left around will have one of the stickers or cards, which contain basic crime prevention advice, left on it. Students can also have any valuable items marked with an ultraviolet pen during the day.

But any items that are at real risk of being stolen will be passed to the college’s security office. Insp Glover added: “The whole idea of the Virtually Stolen campaign is not just to focus on students while in their learning environment, but is designed to give them an awareness which they can also transfer to other social settings.”

David Hardcastle, the college’s security manager, said: “This scheme is part of our continuing efforts to enhance safety and security for students and staff at all our centres throughout Kirklees.

“This campaign is all about raising awareness of the need to keep possessions safe by adhering to simple security measures.

“Police will be on campus targeting possessions left unattended in classrooms, offices and public areas.

“We hope the exercise will be as successful as the previous initiatives undertaken with the NPT. These have covered a number of different subjects, including drugs, drink and weapons.”