Keeping safe: Advice for students

Liverpool is rated amongst the safest places to live in the UK, but it’s still a good idea to take steps to keep safe: 

  • Be aware of your surroundings – Using a mobile phone, wearing a hood, or listening to music on headphones, can distract you from what’s happening around you. Street crime is often opportunistic, so try to be aware of your surroundings.  
  • Travelling by taxi – Whenever possible book your taxi journey in advance with your usual licensed taxi firm. Make sure you’ve got the firm’s number on your phone, as well as alternative firms’ numbers. Remember, the genuine private hire taxi firm you’ve booked with will know who you are and will know where you’re going. If the driver doesn’t have this basic information, don’t get in the car.  
  • Protect your home – Merseyside Police have warned that they have seen an increase in burglaries targeting student homes. To help protect your home, keep your valuables out of sight, lock all doors and windows and activate any house alarms when you leave. If there is access at the back of your home, make sure gates are locked and fences are secure.
  • Be vigilant – When using cash machines make sure you protect your PIN. Try to avoid using a cash machine late at night, and if you have been drinking. If you do need to withdraw cash use a machine in a busy well-lit area and stay with friends. 
  • Travel safely – Try to stick to routes and forms of transport that others are using. If you do walk home alone, try to stick to main roads and avoid poorly lit areas, alleyways, and shortcuts through lonely places. If possible, travel with a friend. 
  • Go against the flow – When walking on the pavement it’s a good idea to face oncoming traffic, as it will make it far more difficult for thieves on two wheelers to ride up from behind and take your property. But still also be aware of anyone approaching from ahead of you. 
  • Protect your valuables – Keep them out of sight when you’re out, and don’t leave laptops, tablets or phones unattended, even in the library. Be vigilant if you do have to use your phone outside. It’s also worth registering your possessions with Immobilise – the free national property register that allows the Police to identify the owners of any recovered property in the event of theft. 
  • Drink responsibly – Alcohol and drugs will reduce reaction times and inhibitions, which makes it harder to assess risks and decide how to deal with them. You are far more vulnerable when you are drunk, especially if you are on your own. Never leave your drink unattended. 
  • Attract help – If you feel threatened, make as much noise as possible to identify yourself in order to warn off the individual and to attract help from others.

Support services 

Campus Support Services 

If you have any concerns then the Campus Support Team are available 24-hours a day, seven days a week, undertaking a variety of measures to maintain a safe and secure environment. 

They also offer a chaperone service and will escort you around the University campus to ensure you feel safe while on site. To request this service, please contact the control room by calling: 0151 794 3252. 

Report + Support 

Report + Support is a quick and simple reporting tool that you can use to report discrimination, misconduct, hate crime, harassment or assault. You can choose to use the tool anonymously, or you can leave your contact details.  

University Support Services 

The University has a range of services in place to help support you through any non-academic issue.  Whatever help you need, Student Support will be there for you. 

Guild Advice Centre  

The Guild Advice Centre offers free and confidential advice. You can email the team (guildadvice@liv.ac.uk) for a range of guidance, including if you would like advise on how to report and get support after an assault. 

Organisations  

Tackling sexual harassment and violence  

Sexual harassment and violence have been the focus of important discussions nationwide following the murder of Sarah Everard and therefore, in an article about safety, we felt it important to reassure our community that this is an issue the University takes very seriously, and practical measures and support are an ongoing subject of discussion and action.  

In response to the Changing the Culture report, the University continues to work with the Guild on effective measures to address sexual and online harassment, and to tackle and prevent all forms of harassment and abuse on campus. The University and Guild’s Bystander Intervention Training, which has been delivered to more than 2,000 student leaders in the last two years, continues to address harassment and abuse.

Recently, the University introduced a new Report + Support tool for students and staff wishing to seek advice and support for incidents of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, sexual violence, domestic violence, hate crimes or discrimination. 

The University understands that institutions like ours have an important and ongoing role to play in addressing sexual harassment and violence. We will continue with our work in this area and are committed to progressing cultural change, while also ensuring campus is a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students and staff. 

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