Staying Safe at University

Starting university is an exciting time; there are so many new experiences, new people to meet and places to explore it’s easy to throw yourself into it, which is exactly what you should be doing. However, it’s worth taking a bit of time to make sure you stay safe so you can really make the most of your time at uni.

We’ve put together a short guide with a few reminders, from tips on keeping your uni accommodation safe, to making sure you and your friends stay safe on a night out.

Tips for keeping your student accommodation safe

Keeping your flat or house safe often comes down to good old-fashioned common sense. Things such as making sure to lock your doors and windows might seem obvious, but 1 in 3 burglaries happen because the doors or windows were left unlocked, and in 70% of domestic burglaries over the last decade the offender gained access through a door.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, there are things you can do to reduce your risk:

• Valuables – move them so they can’t be seen from the window. This includes electrical items such as laptops etc, but also bags and keys.

• New laptop? If you buy something new don’t just leave the packaging outside with the rest of the rubbish/recycling, this is just advertising the fact that you have brand new equipment at a time when burglars know students are moving in. Flatten the packaging and hide it under other recycling.

• Social Media – think about what you post on social media. Make sure you don’t have too many personal belongings in the background of the photos you post, and if you’re going away, wait until you get back before posting pics of your holiday, you don’t want to make an announcement that your room/flat is going to be empty, particularly as burglaries are just as likely to be carried out by someone known to the victim, as by a stranger.

• Deliveries – try not to arrange any deliveries over the Christmas/Summer breaks when nobody’s home.

• Mark your stuff! It really helps to mark your possessions in some way, a UV pen is a great way to do this because it’s not visible to the naked eye. You could use your student registration number or postcode so your belongings can be easily identified.

• Lights – see if there’s an option on your smart speaker to turn lights on when you’re out, so that if anyone is watching it looks like someone is in. It’s well known that students tend to go back home in the summer and at Christmas and some kind of light timer is much cheaper, and more realistic, than leaving lights on.

• Stranger danger! Only let people you know into your halls of residence or flats, don’t just hold the door open for the person behind you, ask them to buzz the person they’ve come to see.

Staying safe on a night out

A huge part (and some would say the most important part…) of being at uni is your social life. The first few weeks will be a whirlwind of Freshers events, but after that there’s the students’ union bar, all those student nights at the local clubs, and pound-a-pint nights.

Every university town has a buzzing nightlife and you want to make the most of it. Alcohol affects your decision-making and can make you more vulnerable so follow these simple tips to make sure everyone stays safe while having a good time:

• Plan – have a plan before you go out, for how you’re getting home, where you’re going, who you’re going with. Are there a few of you coming back to the same address? Book a taxi before you go so you don’t have to worry about it later.

• Tell someone – if you’re not going out with people you live with, or your usual group of friends, let someone know where you’re going and a rough idea of when you’re planning on getting back.

• Stay together – try to keep track of where everyone in your group is, it’s easy to become separated so group chats can help. Don’t let anyone go off on their own, even if it means some of you leaving earlier than you might have wanted.

• Keys – keep keys/ID/money/phone somewhere safe where you can’t lose them and where they can’t be easily taken.

• Cash – don’t take a lot of cash with you; it’s harder to keep track of and easier to lose or have stolen. Most places are contactless now, you can even pay for a taxi with a card or phone.

Be drink aware – here’s the sensible part:

• Eat something– lining your stomach before you start drinking is a classic bit of advice for a reason.

• Pace yourself – try to drink water/soft drinks too in between the cocktails.

• Don’t mix your drinks – another classic tip, but try not to mix wine and beer, stick to one or the other.

• No minesweeping – there are lots of reasons why you shouldn’t do this, mainly because you don’t know what’s in those drinks, but you also don’t know whose mouth has been on them.

• Keep an eye on how much you’re drinking – this is easier said than done but the more alcohol you drink, the more likely it is that your decision-making will be affected.

Spiking

Drink or needle spiking has been the subject of a lot of media attention; it can happen to both men and women and is usually done to enable a crime to be committed, such as sexual assault. It is taken extremely seriously by the courts and carries a 10-year maximum prison sentence.

Drink spiking is when drugs or alcohol are added to your drink, it could involve putting alcohol into both alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, or putting prescription or illegal drugs in someone’s drink, the most common drugs used are Rohypnol, ketamine or GHB.

A recent survey of 23,000 students at 19 universities showed that 11% of students questioned had been spiked. The very nature of it means you don’t always know when it’s happening, as the drugs usually used don’t change the taste or colour of your drink, but there are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of this happening to you or your friends:

• It’s best not to accept a drink from someone you don’t know, but if you do, go to the bar with them so you can see it being made and then take it straight from the server.

• Don’t leave your drink unattended, for example, when you hit the dancefloor or go to the toilet.

• Don’t drink anything you either didn’t open yourself, or didn’t see opened.

• The drugs used are often colourless/odourless/tasteless, but keep an eye out for drinks that look cloudy or dull, or if the ice is sinking.

• Be aware of what’s going on around you, particularly if you or your friends suddenly start to feel more drunk than you would expect. Look out for slurred speech, problems with vision or balance, feeling sick when you normally wouldn’t after just a couple of drinks; anxiety, confusion or even blackouts.

Reports of physical spiking, by injection, are also on the increase. This often happens in nightclubs, on busy dance floors or in the queue, and usually involves being injected in the upper arm, back or thigh.

Again, the very nature of the offence means that you don’t know when it’s happening and it can happen very quickly, people often report feeling ill and then later finding a small mark or bruise where the needle entered the skin.

If you do think you’ve been spiked by a needle, wash the wound and try to go to A&E within 24 hours as dirty needles could pass on blood-borne infections and you may need post-exposure medicine.

If you think someone you’re with has been spiked, find somewhere safe for them to sit, get them to drink some water if they can and let the staff know. Don’t let them leave on their own, or with someone you don’t know and make sure they have someone with them for the next couple of hours. If their condition deteriorates, call an ambulance.

If you suspect you have been spiked yourself, go somewhere safe and ring someone you trust. With any cases of spiking, report it to the police if you feel able to. Lots of people don’t report this because they feel embarrassed or think they won’t be believed.

Travelling safely

It’s always good to have a plan for how you’re going to get home before you go out. Make sure your phone is charged so you can call a cab if needed, and make sure you have enough money put to one side for a taxi or bus, and preferably have someone you can travel with. It’s always better to get a taxi or bus, but if you are walking there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Stick to busy well-lit areas, avoiding alleyways, parks etc.

• If you are walking alone, call someone as you’re walking, but remember to stay alert. Don’t wear headphones, or walk along scrolling through your phone as this shows that you’re distracted and more easily taken by surprise.

• Stay alert, if you think you’re being followed, cross the road or head for somewhere busy – a pub/takeaway/petrol station – and call the police.

• Carry an alarm.
• If you’re on a bus, stay on the lower deck, and on the underground or train, try to sit near other people and avoid empty carriages if possible.

In London, black cabs can be flagged down on the street, but in the rest of the country it’s illegal for mini cabs to pick up passengers on the street.

You can book one with a licensed company – most have apps now – or ring, you can also book in person at their office. A licensed cab will have driver ID and keep a record of the journey, and their drivers will all have had background checks done. Taxi firms often offer a student discount.

Uber is good because you can pay via the app, it also lets you share your location and driver details with a friend. Check with your uni to see if they have a Safe Taxi scheme for students. Once you’ve signed up you can be picked up from anywhere and can either be taken back to your accommodation, hospital or police station. You pay afterwards through your registered account.

Insurance

Over half of students who are victims of burglary don’t have sufficient personal belongings insurance and while we’d like to think it’s not going to happen, it’s much better to be prepared.

Replacing your possessions will take a big chunk out of your precious budget, compared to what student insurance costs, so it’s worth checking it out for peace of mind.

Identity theft

Keep your important documents in one safe place; passports, driving license, ID etc, and don’t give out personal information, such as passwords or pin numbers. Try to get into the habit of destroying paperwork that has personal details on it such as bank details, address, date of birth. Don’t leave them in the recycling bin.

Make sure you inform organisations of your new address when you move to different student accommodation, this means bills etc won’t keep going to your old address with potentially secure, personal information in it that other people could see.

Apps

You can use apps to keep in touch with friends:

• Find my iPhone (Find My Device on Android) lets you create a group, you can do this indefinitely, or just for a few hours on a night out. You can share locations and be notified when someone gets home safely.

• Snapchat can help see where friends are if you all switch your location on.

• What3words is based on the idea that every location has a three-word code, so in an emergency your exact location can be identified, even if you don’t actually know where you are/the street name etc. It also works offline.
• Life360 lets you share your location with an invite-only group of family or friends.

General tips

• Familiarise yourself with your new city; get your bearings and check out the public transport so that on a night out, when you might have had quite a lot of alcohol, you’re not totally reliant on other people.

• Keep important numbers, like taxi firms, in your phone.

• You don’t have to say yes to everything.

• Trust your instincts, if you don’t feel safe/comfortable, it’s OK to leave.

• Look out for each other.

Conclusion

A lot of this advice is common sense, and not put together to scare you, but to help you feel safe and more in control.  Things like locking your doors and windows, and making sure you have insurance, are small things you can do that will have a big impact if the worst does happen.

Once you know you’ve taken the right steps to keep you and your friends and your property safe, you can get on with the important things, such as having the best time and making fantastic memories.

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