• Sign any new bankcards as soon as they arrive. Cut up old cards immediately the new cards become valid. Note all your card details at home so you can cancel them quickly if they are stolen.
  
  
• Do not write your PIN down or give it to anyone - not even bank staff.
  
  
• Keep a separate note of your card numbers and account numbers, and 24-hour telephone numbers to cancel your cards. Make sure you report lost or stolen cards to your bank or building society as soon as possible.
  
  
• Keep your mobile phone and any other valuables out of sight. Register your phone with your network provider. Record your 15 digit serial number (IMEI) and your phone number. You can get your IMEI number by keying *#06#. Report the number of your stolen phone to your network operator and the police as quickly as you can. It can then be cancelled immediately like a stolen credit card. The handset is then barred on all networks and will be useless to the thief.
  
  
• Use an ultra violet pen to mark items of value.
  

Cycle theft is a crime that York students are often the victim of. The vast majority of bikes stolen have been locked with chains or combination locks that are easy to cut through with bole croppers. In order to make it harder for thieves to steal your bike, make sure you do the following: 

•  Lock your bike through the frame to a solid structure. If possible,  
    use two D-locks, the second through the rear wheel 
   
  
• Take off removable parts i.e. the front wheel                          

• Lock your bike in well lit areas, where there is CCTV and lots of pedestrian traffic
  
  
• Get your bicycle tagged. This involves a police officer placing a tag in the frame of your cycle and you providing the police with your name and address. York Police offer this service free of charge. If your cycle is ever stolen and later recovered by the police, providing it is tagged, it will be returned to you. The police advertise when there are cycle tagging days at the universities and colleges in York so keep your eyes open for these.
  
  
  The York Community Watch website contains more tips on protecting your belongings and crime prevention. Community Watch is now the name for Crime Prevention and Community Safety in York.