Student Victimisation
News
GMP and Manchester's CDRP present a night of sheep and wolves
Date: 2006-10-13
The seven-minute DVD, 'You've been flamed - spot the bright spark' is narrated by actor John Thomson and has been produced for students, in a bid to get across serious crime safety messages.The premier showing of the film took place on 28 September at Bar XS in Fallowfield, with a special appearance from John Thomson.The DVD starts with CCTV footage of five students on a night out, dressed as sheep. A few drinks into the evening and one sheep is asked if they have a 'light', one of the students kindly obliges, however this results in their costume bursting into flames. Seconds later and all five sheep are alight, running around in the bar. Despite the opening sequences of the film, the purpose of it isn't to warn people about students dressing up as sheep. It is to warn them to watch out for the wolves, who are waiting to prey on them.The remainder of the DVD focuses on real-life scenarios on burglary, robbery and personal safety issues.
Students are easy prey for criminals and one in three will become a victim of crime while at university. However it is easy to outsmart the wolves by following simple advice such as keeping windows and doors shut and locked; keeping valuables such as MP3 players and mobile phones out of sight; staying with friends; staying in well-lit areas and not using cash points late at night.The DVD will be screened on the BBC screen in Exchange Square in Manchester city centre all day and for the next two weeks, screenings will also take place in student union bars and a number of other bars in Manchester. In addition it will be shown during university welcome talks as well as being available online at www.makingmanchestersafer.com/students. There will be a whole host of other activity taking place over the next few weeks in a bid to keep students safe.
Across Manchester and Salford, more than 60 police officers will be dedicated to policing operations involving: high-visibility patrols; covert surveillance operations; intelligence gathering and monitoring of CCTV cameras.Superintendent Gerry McGowan, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "Manchester is a great place for students to study, live and socialise, this is shown by the number who continue to stay in the area after completing their degrees. Our job is to make their experience as safe and as enjoyable as possible. There are simple things that students can do to keep themselves and their property safe and this DVD is a great example of showing them how, in a way we hope will attract their attention, informing as well as entertaining them."Everyone involved in making this DVD has put in 110 per cent to ensure that it not only appeals to students, but gets across the right messages. I am delighted to attend today's 'premier' and I am sure that the students will enjoy watching it as much as we have making it."Councillor Jim Battle, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "Manchester is an exciting, vibrant, cosmopolitan city and we want to do all we can to make sure students enjoy their time here. We've produced this entertaining DVD along with our partners to provide useful, practical advice on how to keep yourself and your possessions safe while taking full advantage of all the city has to offer."
For further information about the DVD, please contact Stephen Hobson (Crime Reduction Advisor). Tel: 0161 856 6174 E-mail: stephen.hobson@gmp.police.uk
Goodbye to the good2bsecure website
Date: 2006-05-19
The good2bsecure website was launched in January 2003 with Danny Timpson's Kebabathon game. It was part of the publicity campaign to to reinforce crime prevention messages for students.
In November the same year, the website was re-launched along with the "Bargain Boost" game featuring David "cheap as chips" Dickinson as the spoke-person. The re-launch was to kick start a major publicity campaign in eleven key areas; London, Manchester, Leeds, Oxford, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle, Liverpool, Sheffield and Nottingham - targeting over half a million students.
From the end of May 2006, the good2bsecure website will cease its operation. This is due to the recent re-vamping and streamlining of the Home Office website. A new student safety page containing key information from the good2bsecure site is now available on the Home Office website.
International Students: Your finances and bank account in the UK
Date: 2006-05-19
The British Bankers' Association have published banking guidance for international students called "International Students - Opening a UK bank account". It was published in July 2005.
This guidance contains information about UK banking services, including how to open a bank account, what services you may be offered and issues to consider when choosing a bank.
UKCOSA has also produced leaflets about other issues affecting international students such as accommodation, immigration and culture shock. For further information: www.ukcosa.org.uk/pages/guidenote.htm
Home Office & NUS Student Welfare Officer Toolkit
Date: 2006-04-06
A new web-based toolkit, devised by the Home Office and the National Union of Students (NUS UK), is launched today, giving student welfare officers advice and tips on working in partnership with their institution, police and others to reduce crime against students.
The toolkit contains practical advice on staying safe, deterring burglary and protecting against street crime and has been published by the NUS on their website aimed at students' union officers.
It is available online to 750 student unions in universities and colleges throughout England and Wales, enabling them to advise fellow students of the best way to protect themselves and how to get help when needed.
It also contains ideas about how Student Welfare Officers can raise awareness of student crime on their campuses and run crime prevention initiatives.
NUS Vice president Welfare, Veronica King, said: "NUS is proud to present the Home Office 'Student Welfare Officer Toolkit'. The Home Office and NUS have been working very hard to put together examples of best practice on how to keep crime down on campus and make students safer. Students come to university or college with their brand new laptops, and the latest i-pods, and personal safety is not usually their top priority, with the excitement of student life taking over. Unfortunately, 1 in 3 students becomes the victim of a crime each year at university. We hope students' unions will use the toolkit as a way to increase awareness of crime and make student life a crime-free experience."
The toolkit is now available at www.officeronline.co.uk/crime
Last update: Last update: Thursday, March 08, 2007