Safety Tips For New Students

Starting studying at university should be one of the most exciting, and hopefully enjoyable, times of your life. Don’t let it all go wrong – take our safety tips to make sure you avoid some of the most common issues.

In your accommodation:

• Don’t leave valuables in clear sight when you’re not in your room. If you go out, take the time to put laptops, iPads, or other expensive items in a drawer or cupboard to avoid tempting dishonest people.
• Whenever you leave your room, lock your doors and windows – even if you’re only planning on being a couple of minutes. It’s easy to get distracted, and better to be safe than sorry.
• Avoid leaving notes on your door saying that you’ve gone out and how long you’ll be – it’s better to tell a neighbour instead.
• On that note, get to know your fellow residents as quickly as you can if you’re in halls. That will make it easier to tell if someone shouldn’t be around.
• Never give out your access code and never let anyone in unless you know them or you’ve checked their ID. Thieves sometimes try and claim they’re coming in to wait for a friend – tell them to call their mate’s mobile to find out what time they’ll be back and come in then instead.

The North Wales Police contact for Glyndŵr University is PCSO 2914 Ceri-Louise Evans. Her contact details are:
telephone: 07854 336927
email: [email protected]

Site Security at Glyndŵr University can be contacted via the Security Office on 01978 293222 / 07764 687910 / 07764 687909

Your possessions:

• Get insurance cover on your belongings, especially if you have expensive electronic items! There are usually specialist insurance companies for students and Fresher’s fair.
• Buy a property marking kit and use it to make sure anything valuable is marked.
• If you’re walking around with large sums of money, don’t flash it about – which is an easy way of making you a target for thieves – and keep your wallet and phone zipped up inside your jacket.
• If you’re working in a public place like a cafe or library don’t be tempted to leave your laptop unattended. In the time it takes you to get served, someone could help themselves to your stuff.
• If you have a car, buy a good quality steering wheel lock and make sure that you don’t leave any valuables for people looking through the window to see. Hide them in the glove compartment or boot.
• If you are bringing a bike with you, make sure you have a good quality D-Lock. Padlocks and chains are easily cut through with a bolt cutter.

Getting around:

• Get to know the area, and the safest and best li routes to and from town, as soon as you can.
• Learn the public transport routes and timetables you’re most likely to need to use. Bus timetables can be found at the Wrexham Council website while train times can be found at the Trainline.
• Always have the number of a taxi firm in case you need one. Ask your student reps which one they’d recommend – Taxi Register has a list.
• Be aware of what’s going on when you’re walking – MP3 players can be a bad idea because they stop you from hearing people coming up behind you. If you have to walk on the road instead of the pavement, walk towards oncoming traffic so you can see it and get out of the way.
• Give up your valuables rather than fight off someone trying to steal something from you – your safety is even more important than your top-of-the-range mobile phone!
• And, of course, don’t accept lifts from anyone you don’t know well – even people who say they’re in one of your lectures or that you share a mutual friend. Before you get in a car, think carefully about what you know about the driver – if you have any doubts, walk instead.

Going out:

Socialising is a big part of university life, but just because you’re having a good time there’s no reason to let your guard down too much.

• When you’re drinking, pace yourself, drink water or soft drinks as well as alcohol, and only ever accept drinks from people you know and trust. Don’t leave your drink unattended – if you go onto the dance floor or to the toilet, ask a friend to look after it, and do the same for them. Never let anyone have the opportunity to spike your drink, and don’t even think of doing that to anyone else.
• Make sure you know where your wallet is – most muggings and pick-pocketing take place near pubs and clubs when the victims are under the influence of drink.
• Go to cash-points in well-lit area, keep your PIN hidden from people in the queue, and don’t take out more cash than you need (including some for a taxi in an emergency.)
• Be aware of what’s going on around you. If trouble looks like it’s going to break out, think about moving elsewhere.
• At the end of a night out, don’t walk home alone – try and accompany other people going in the same direction, or grab a taxi if that’s not possible.
• Put your new address in your phone – it’s surprising how easy it is to forget it after a few drinks!
• Remember that taking drugs – even ones advertised as ‘legal highs’ – can put you in danger. Check out the facts at Talk To Frank before you take anything.

This advice was gathered together from the North Wales Police website – thanks to them for letting us use it.

It’s well worth keeping track of updates from North Wales Police on Facebook and Twitter.