ARE YOU IN THE ZONE?

Fancy learning more about how to protect yourself against burglary and getting a free Itchy City Card with great discounts across Bristol?

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The ringed area above is 'the zone', and if it's your hood then you're statistically more likely to be burgled than anywhere else in the city. What's more, 25% of the victims here are students.

Thankfully, it's a lot simpler to steel yourself against the threat than you might think and we have some useful tips to help you. You can start by watching the video below:

But it's not all doom and gloom – Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Itchy have brewed up a little treat. If you live in the 'zone', you can look to prevent burglary and get something out of it at the same time.

All you need to do is download a copy of our In The Zone poster and pop it in your window. Take a photo of it and email it to us at inthezone@itchygroup.co.uk, and we will send you a Bristol City Card, which can be used for great discounts in a range of locations around your city.

Alternately, you can drop us an email at citycard@itchygroup.co.uk with your name, number and postal address, and we'll send you one out.

Hurry while stocks last and remember there's only one per household.

And once you've watched the video above, you might want to consider a couple of the below points as well:

Doors: Having a mortice lock, both front and back, is a necessity. Some burglars are able to slip the catch of a Yale using nothing but a piece of plastic. If you're concerned your security does not cut the mustard, tell your landlord and the police at: crimereductionbristol@avonandsomerset.police.uk

Locks: Seriously, it's startling the amount of times a house has been burgled due to a door or window being left ajar.

Electronic Goods: Top of the list for burglars is technological wizardry, especially laptops. You should make your goods as identifiable as possible to give the police every chance of recovering your stuff if the worse should happen. Why not log on to www.immobilise.com. Here you can register your serial numbers – for free – so recovered property can be traced back easily to its rightful owner.

There's plenty more property-saving information on www.avonandsomerset.police.uk