Paranoia over a security shambles
Having lived most of my life in a tiny village, even coming to York was a venture into the big city for this country girl. My mum was freaked out at the thought of me being alone, and so I was duly furnished with a rape alarm, a torch and some interesting advice about how to repel attackers by jabbing my keys into their eyes.
But seriously, how safe are we on campus? Student welfare has been cited as a major reason for retaining the 24-hour porters, and the protest in Derwent proves that point. If it took security services over an hour to respond to all the furniture being removed from the bar, how long would it take them to react to an assault? How can we feel safe when the reaction time of our on campus security team is so slow?
Living on a campus is assumed to be safer than a city university, where it is so much harder to keep tabs on people. But York’s sprawling campus is open to anyone; and while it’s lovely to see families strolling through campus during the day, with the lake sparkling and the ducks quacking away, it’s a very different story at night.
The campus in the early hours of the morning is eerily deserted. No people, no ducks, nothing. The security team responsible for student safety is nowhere to be seen. And although the majority of the University walkways are OK, there have been numerous complaints about the lighting on the pathways from Halifax College to the rest of campus. College bars and university events will be poorly attended by students fearful for their safety. Facilities like the library and the gym are open long after sunset, and should be able to be used without fear.
The worry is still there, whether the threat is real or not. Even falling into the lake, whilst funny if you were with your mates (and if you weren’t the one falling in), could have awful consequences if you were walking through campus alone. Walking to town alone is discouraged, and most people wouldn’t walk down the ominously nicknamed ‘Rape Alley’ by themselves.
Is the University as safe as it thinks it is? I know students can encourage opportunities for crime, with windows left open and doors propped open with fire extinguishers (double points for that one). But shouldn’t the University cater for naïveté, inebriation and the arrogance that comes with newfound independence?
The University security systems need to see things from a student perspective. Would a 19-year-old girl feel safe walking along, somewhat unsteadily? The University cannot change its location, and so the walk to town will always be an issue, but the safety of students on campus is under their control. They can make changes. We live here; we should feel safe.
Loading ...