Safety Tips

• Stay together, tell friends where you are, share taxis and walk home together. Know your surroundings and choose sensible walking routes – well lit and with lots of people. Keep bags closed and fastened. Be wary when wearing a backpack. If someone grabs it, let it go. Bags – and their contents – can be replaced.
• Keep your wallet out of sight.
• Use cash machines in daylight or with a mate. Otherwise, choose a well-lit one or one inside a bank.
• Don’t be flash with cash (keep it in your pocket) or your laptop (keep this hidden in an anonymous bag like a rucksack).
• If you take your mobile out with you, keep it hidden and keep calls brief.
• If you suspect you’re being followed, cross over the road to see if they follow. If you’re still worried, don’t hang about. Go to a public place and call a mate to meet you, or the police.
• Have your house keys ready before you reach the door – and carry them on you, not in your bag.
• Walk confidently and be aware of what’s going on around you.
• Try to blend in and avoid wearing your ‘Drunk’ or ‘Lost’ student badge which will make you stand out to criminals.
• Remember, if you’re chatting on the phone or listening to your MP3 player, you won’t hear someone come up behind you. Your hearing is your best protection and your voice is your best defence. If you’re attacked, shout and run.
• When your gut says there’s trouble ahead, there probably is. Get somewhere safe.
• Steer clear of a confrontation; it’s really not worth it.
• If something does happen to you, report it to the police and campus authorities. You could stop it happening to someone else.
• On a night out, be constantly aware: of where your belongings are; and that the more you drink, the less bothered you’ll be about your stuff and what you get up to!
• Spiking drinks with alcohol or drugs does happen. People do it ‘to be funny’, out of spite or anger, to rob you or to leave you open to sexual assault.
• It only takes 15 minutes for the effects of ‘rape drugs’ to kick in, but they can wipe out eight hours of memory.
• Most people know their spiker, and men’s drinks get spiked too!
• Don’t take a drink you haven’t seen poured.
• Don’t leave your drink unattended, especially if nipping out for a fag.
• If you suddenly feel unusually drunk, ask someone you trust to get you home.
• If a mate starts acting out of character, they might have been drugged – ask for help and get them home safely.
• Take regular bites. If you know you are drinking have something to eat before you go out.
• Carry a personal alarm.
• Travel light (in terms of valuables).
• Keep your valuables out of sight and locked away when possible.