|
By Roshni Mapara
Students living in the Poole halls of residents have been warned of thieves ‘tail gating’ and pushing on flat doors...
Since coming back after the winter break, the staff at Corfe House have noticed a rise in the number of people following students into the building.
The automatic doors, which can only be unlocked using a key card, stay open for 30 seconds allowing enough time for anyone to follow a resident in.
Flat doors are often left on the latch by students, simply for convenience, but now staff are advising against it.
According to Shirleyann Plumridge, the Hospitality Manager at Corfe House, residents living on the lower floors of the building are “most at risk”.
Although the building is protected by a 24 hour CCTV camera system, a receptionist during the day and a security guard at night, the unwelcome visitors are still finding their way into flats.
The warnings were sent out by formal letter to each flat.
It was stressed that nothing had been stolen from flats in Corfe House but students living in other halls of residents have experienced theft of laptops, i-pods and digital cameras this year.
Endsleigh insurance is paid for by Unite, the owners of Corfe House, but students were told that “your insurance will be void” if they do not take the responsibility to secure their flats correctly.
Although thieves have targeted halls of residents and student housing before, management are worried that they are finding new and possibly more successful ways to steal from students. As a result, the burden will be left on them to pay for damages and replacements.
-----------------------------------------------------
Have you had a similar experience? Do any of your halls or houses suffer from this problem? The Wire wants to hear from you! Email the Online Editor and tell us your story...
|
