ARE YOU IN THE ZONE: get clued up on burglary in Bristol.

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If you live in Bristol, the ringed area on the map above should look quite familiar to you. It might even be your locale, your 'neck of the woods', or even your 'hood' – charming place that it is.

Whatever the case, you are looking at 'the zone'. Not the twilight zone, not the o-zone, the zone; and if you're in it (so to speak) then you need to be aware of the threat of burglary.

You are statistically more likely to fall foul of the burglar's wicked hand in this area than anywhere else in the city.

25% of the victims here are students. The heartache of losing a laptop laden with coursework and photographic memories is too much to take, and the prospect should not be inflicted on anyone.

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:

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 us at: crimereductionbristol@avonandsomerset.police.uk

Locks: They are there to be used! It's startling the amount of times a house has been burgled (yes, not burglarised any yanks out there) due to a door or window being left ajar. Sort it out!

Electronic Goods: Top of the list for burglars are your treasured articles of technological wizardry, with the brunt of the theft being felt by laptop owners. 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 it's rightful owner.

There's plenty more property-saving, swag-preventing information where this came from; we advise you to get on to it sharpish, on www.avonandsomerset.police.uk