Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

Further Examples of Crime Prevention and Reduction Activities

• Safety/Awareness Publicity Messages (input, including design, from Student Union critical if they are to be credible and accessible to students) via PC screen savers, email, text messages, posters, websites, beer mats, mouse mats, club laser shows, club/beer discount vouchers, CDs (played at club closing times) & video.

• Pre-term packs sent to students & parents (Sending information ahead of term may be more effective than waiting for Freshers' Week. Pack may include safety messages, property marker pens...etc.)

• Landlord accreditation schemes that include security.

• Promotions on, or encouraging students/ parents to buy, timer-switches.

• Distribution of personal alarms (practical as well as helping raise awareness).

• Property marking events (helps raise awareness)

• Freshers' Fairs Crime Reduction stalls {incl. police marketing van & seminars}.

• Compulsory crime reduction sessions.

• Provision of night buses.

• Identification and advertising of "safer routes" to and from city & club centres

• High visibility patrolling of "hot spots" by police officers or security staff.

• Late night police/security force escorts on "safe routes" to coincide with predicted crime peaks.

• Recruitment of student special constables.

• Appointment of police/student/ university crime reduction liaison officers.

• Drop-in surgeries for students with police university beat officers.

• Increased police presence on and around campus to build trust and deter offenders.

• NUS card "bond" schemes with local taxi firms to deter walking home alone/late whilst guaranteeing payment to taxi.

• Installation of cash points, cash back schemes within clubs to avoid late night use of street ATMs.

• Initiatives to break down any "town vs gown" feelings, such as allowing local youngsters to use university facilities or providing coaching or other forms of help for local sporting or other activities.

• Analysing historical crime peaks against student calendar to identify "trigger" events (e.g. freshers' week, valentines and graduation balls) and schedule response.

• Arranging "Personal Safety" seminars during term time by high profile organisations - e.g. the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

It’s now just as easy to immobilise a phone as it is to cancel a credit card - and just as important Mobile phone theft/robbery is one of the main drivers behind street crime and it is a crime that students are particularly vulnerable to. The mobile phone industry is running the "Immobilise Phone Crime" campaign to raise awareness of the new measures that the industry has taken to fight the problem and to inform customers of the action that they need to take in the event of their phone being stolen or lost. The main campaign message is that "Stolen Phones Don’t Work Anymore" and the campaign is supported by a website - www.immobilise.com If their phone is stolen or lost, customers should call their network or service provider to have their phone blocked across all UK networks making it useless to the thief. The phone will be blocked even if the SIM card has been changed. We would like universities to promote and support the campaign. You can obtain FREE material to do this (leaflets, posters and window stickers) by emailing the campaign coordinators to request the material at info@immobilise.com. If you want more details please see the Immobilise website under the campaign materials section (from where you can download the artwork direct if you prefer)

Last update: Last update: 06/01/04