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Officers hosted a stall at the University of Hertfordshire’s Freshers’ Fair on Friday (27 September) to promote student safety.
The fair, which took place on College Lane campus, gave the student community a chance to meet officers from the constabulary’s dedicated University Policing Team.
The team, made up of a PC and two PCSOs, has been working as a successful partnership with the university for over 10 years. They regularly patrol the campuses and attend and host many events throughout the year where students can report concerns and gain advice.
Topics that were discussed at Friday’s stall included personal safety and security, spiking, scams (including sextortion) and responsible drinking.
A number of students also expressed interest in joining the police after university.
There were also crime prevention freebies for the students, including anti-spiking covers. These colourful covers fit over drink bottles to prevent them from being spiked and the team take them to events throughout the year to hand out.
In addition to Friday’s fair, the team attended the International Information Fair for international students on Wednesday 18 September. They explained to the students how to contact the police in the UK and answered any questions they had about UK policing.
PCSO Carl Donovan, from the University Policing Team, said: “As always, this was a very busy event and we had a great time chatting to the students who were all very excited! Our attendance at the Freshers’ Fair is important as we want to build the new students’ trust so that they feel confident reporting any problems to us.
“Hertfordshire is a safe university and we’re committed to making sure it stays that way. As part of this, we always aim to equip freshers with useful crime prevention advice. Throughout Freshers’ Week, we shared daily crime prevention tips on our X account. We like to keep in good communication with the students and regularly post on our X and Instagram accounts to update students with news and events. As the year goes on, we’ll be hosting more events across the campuses where students can come for advice and pick up more crime prevention tips.
“We would like to wish the 2024 cohort a fantastic time at university. If you see us about, please don’t be afraid to stop us for a chat!”
University of Hertfordshire Dean of Students, Geri Ward, said: “Freshers’ Fair is an exciting time for our students that is not only about having a fun introduction to university life, but also about equipping them with the information and tools required to have the most successful and positive experience possible while at Herts. This includes learning about the support services provided by our dedicated University Policing Team, who work around the clock, on campus and across the local area, to keep our community safe.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff will always be our utmost priority, and we are proud to have such a strong, collaborative relationship – and to work so closely - with our colleagues at Hertfordshire Constabulary to give students the confidence to report any concerns and provide the latest advice on how to reduce risks, stay safe and most importantly, have the best time at university.”
You can follow the University Policing Team on social media:
Instagram: @HertsuniPolice
You can follow the constabulary on TikTok too!
TikTok: @HertsPolice
For student safety advice, visit the team’s page on the Hertfordshire Constabulary website.