SaferU scheme will see volunteers recruited to help make campus even safer
Anglia Ruskin and its Students’ Union have struck a partnership with Crimestoppers which will see a team of student volunteers carry out a safety campaign over the course of a year. The SaferU campaign, being run in conjunction with the University of Northampton and the University of Plymouth following a successful pilot scheme, will be run on Anglia Ruskin’s Cambridge campus before being rolled out across the country.
The campaign, which will cost £5,000, aims to cut opportunist crimes such as theft of bicycles, laptops or smartphones by raising awareness about the importance of students protecting their belongings using multimedia, promotional materials and social media. The campaign may also include advice about personal safety when out and about in the evenings.
Students are currently being recruited to be part of the scheme and will be holding initial meetings this week under the guidance of officers from the Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union. As well as improving campus safety, the initiative will also provide participating students with useful life skills such as leadership, budgeting and marketing.
A Complete University Guide study published in August found that in 2014, Cambridge was the fourth safest city to study in England and Wales.
Julie Walkling, Director of Student Services at Anglia Ruskin University, said: “Our Cambridge campus is an extremely safe environment to study. However, one crime is one too many and we’re delighted to be working with Crimestoppers to make our campus even safer for our students.
“Most crime around university campuses is committed by opportunists who do not study there. No matter how secure their environment might be, our students need to be sure to aware of this and the fact this campaign is being run by their peers should reinforce this message.
“This is also a terrific opportunity for our students to volunteer together, develop skills and to make a difference both to the community and their own employability.”
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For more press information please contact:
Jon Green on t: 01245 684717, e: jon.green@anglia.ac.uk
Jamie Forsyth on t: 01245 684716, e: jamie.forsyth@anglia.ac.uk
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