Student festive safety

The party life style that many students embrace can have it's consequences.....

1 in 3 students become the victim of crime every single year, with burglaries, muggings and assault being rife against the student population. Ipods, vodka and halls of residence all play a hand at turning the student lifestyle into a risk fuelled nightmare.

Students widely suffer from the ill effects of alcohol and put themselves at greater risk of fire-related injuries and sexually transmitted infections from having unprotected sex. The festive period creates an increased risk of falling victim to crime.

There are some very simple steps you take can to help keep yourself safe in the winter months. Not using MP3 players late at night and getting your keys out your bag before you reach your door could help you avoid being another statistic.

Strathclyde Police is working closely with Glasgow Community and Safety Services (GCSS) as it gears up to extend the city’s “Nite Zone” services over the festive period.
Nite Zones, which operate around Central Station and Sauchiehall Street on Friday and Saturday nights, is a strategy led by GCSS and aims to reduce violence, disorder and antisocial behaviour. “Nite Zones” benefit from increased police patrols, lighting, taxi and bus marshals and, to date, the number of serious crimes - including robbery and serious assault incidents – in these areas have reduced.

Chief Superintendent Bernard Higgins for Glasgow City Centre and West Division said: ““By getting our safety message across by using the latest technology, and the more traditional methods like posters and radio adverts, we hope to encourage people to plan ahead for their nights out and show that by taking a few simple steps, they can stay safe and remember their time for all the right reasons.”