You may have heard recently about some incidents which have taken place in the West Yorkshire area. In light of this, and because we always want to ensure that you feel safe during your time here, we thought it would be a good opportunity to share with you some useful tips and advice courtesy of our student safety officer Laura Jackson.

Personal Safety

- Avoid walking alone after dark – stick with friends whenever possible, & if you must walk, always take the most well-lit and populated route possible. 

- Use a taxi or someone you trust to take you home – Make sure you’re dropped off as close to where you’re going as possible, and share (with people you know). It’s not only safer but cheaper too!

- Tell someone – let someone know what your plans are, the route you will be taking and what time you can expect to arrive home.

- Always sit in the back of a taxi - unless the reason you can’t is because the back is full of your friends!

- Keep to well-lit roads and avoid dark secluded areas – as we said earlier, always stay where you can see and be seen.

- If you think you are being followed cross the road and keep walking – If it continues and you feel unsafe then call the Police. Enter any shops/stores that are open and ask for help.

- Carry a personal attack alarm – you can pick up one of these from our student safety officer Laura Jackson – l.jackson@hud.ac.uk

Laura will also be holding a self-defence class alongside qualified martial arts trainer Vince Deer, teaching new skills each week to help you keep yourself safe. The class is open to anyone regardless of prior experience and will be held every Wednesday until Christmas in studio 2 at the gym in student central from 2:15 – 3pm. Both students are staff are welcome to attend one or all of the sessions.

If you want to know more about student safety, the NUS site has a section on this, with some useful articles covering everything from nights out to online security.

Keep your belongings to yourself

- Don't make it easy for a potential thief to help themselves to your possessions. Ensure you have adequate personal belongings insurance – over half the students who fall prey to theft and burglary are not insured.

- Mark your possessions with a UV pen – your student registration number plus the Initials of your university makes a unique number that the police can find easily.

- Students in private housing are twice as likely to be burgled than those in halls of residence, not least because their accommodation is often unoccupied for long periods of the day and night. You can give the impression of being at home by using timer switches on lights and radios.

- Consider secure storage for expensive items if you are leaving these over the upcoming holidays. International students might find this service particularly helpful.

- Dial *#06# for your unique mobile registration (IMEI) number – the first thing the police will check for when recovering stolen property.

Register your mobile's IMEI and all the serial numbers of your electronic equipment on www.immobilise.com. Immobilise.com is a free UK-wide national property register, supported and used by UK police forces, insurers and the second-hand trade. As well as electronic products, you can also register your bike and other valuable items.

- Avoid using your phone in isolated places. Remember that texting can distract you from what is happening around you. When you are out and about switch your mobile to vibrate mode rather than a ring tone.

- In the unfortunate event of an item being lost or stolen you can use register the loss on the Immobilise website – always contact your network provider to block the phone's use or you may be liable for the cost of any calls, and if you know the phone has been stolen you must inform the police. Mobiles are by far and away the items most stolen from young people.

Want to know how to keep yourself safe from identity fraud, top tips on protecting your gadgets or Endsleigh’s top reasons to keep your door locked at uni? Head over to Security Matters from Endsleigh to read this and much, much more.