Salford Daily FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014

After several
worrying attacks
during the first
semester of this
academic year,
students question
whether theyre in
the safest place.
Is this a concern
in Salford and
Manchester?

HIS first term has

worried countless students after attacks on
members of the public,
including youngsters
studying in Salford. Back
in October, there were two
rapes committed within just a
couple of days which clearly
caused a high level of fear.
One, on a 40-year-old woman
and another on a 17-year-old
boy. But it is not just Salford
residents that were targeted,
an 18-year-old student was the
victim of a knife attack when
he was slashed in the leg back
in September. This was clearly
a worrying prospect for new
fresher students, starting
work towards their degree at
Salford University.
Despite this, the University
of Salford provides excellent
teaching, innovation, and
research and has much to be
proud of. Salford Business
School won the Business
School of the Year title at
the Times Higher Education
Awards last month. Also,
a transformation is underway to create a high quality
campus for future students.
However, could the citys poor
safety reputation jeopardise
prospective students from
enrolling onto a course at the
university?
Vinny Greener, operations
manager at the University of
Salford explains that the campus today, is safer than ever
before: We put things in place
to prevent the opportunities
for crime and awareness. Our
criminals actually dont target
this place as much as say for
example, other universities,
say Leeds, or Liverpool, or
Manchester. Weve actually
seen crime reduced on this
campus year on year on year
so when we look at the national tables, were actually on
the bottom end of crime stats
on campus so were actually
a very safe university. Its all
because weve worked very
closely with the community,
local police and weve invested
a lot in making sure that the
student experience is a safe
one. Mr Greener believes
that because of this, students
shouldnt be worried before
coming to study.

were
actually a
very safe
university.

Yet, Alice Maenami graduated last summer, after spending

three years at Salford University studying Contemporary
Theatre Practice. Along with
her housemates, she experienced a horrific ordeal when
her rented house got broken
into twice last December. Alice
explains what happened: The
moment I realised something
had happened was when I
saw my bedside table empty.
I was sure I had left my laptop
on there. I looked around but
couldnt see it. The rest of my
room was spotless, just as tidy
as I had left it. We literally all
came out of our rooms at the

CONTROL ROOM: The security team watch for any incidents across the campus.

SALFORD MAIN CAMPUS: A place to teach and learn, but students fear as it gets dark.

Safety of Salford stu

By Rachel Davies

same time and realised what

had happened. We looked in
the living room to realise that
the TV had gone, a couple of
bikes, all of our laptops and a
Galaxy tablet. The boys
rooms had definitely been
searched thoroughly, they
had more gadgets than us including a GoPro camera, hard-drives and an expensive
watch etc., which had all gone. We think the burglars got in through one of the front
windows as both the front and back doors were locked.
Alice also pointed out that she rang the police and were able to get most of their
things replaced through insurance. They also notified their landlord who agreed to put
extra bars on the front gate and window. Unfortunately, this wasnt enough to stop burglars from accessing the house again. Alice said: We got burgled over Christmas as
well - undoubtedly the same culprits who were clever enough to realise that we would
have replaced all of our gadgets by then. Luckily I was at home in Middlesbrough and
didnt have any valuables there, but my room was trashed when I got back.
Alice does not want any other students to have to deal with a burglary and gives her
advice on how to cope in this kind of situation: Most people decided to keep more valuable stuff at home with their parents. I was very lucky to only have a laptop stolen but
I was more bothered about all the coursework I had on there. So my advice is to back
up all your work. When I got my new laptop, I took it with me most places too.
However, despite her ordeal, she says she would definitely recommend the university to prospective students: There are plenty of ways to stay safe and prevent burglary,
and it didnt change my opinion on the university experience as a whole.
Despite Alices comments, Salford Daily has learnt that another group of Salford University students got their rented house broken into last month. Do students who stay
at home and commute feel safer, knowing they are in their own home? Victoria Irvine,
who lives in Stromness explains: Yeah, I do think I feel safer. I know I have people I
can trust around me and with all the break-ins Ive heard about over the last year and a
half, Im definitely glad I live at home and dont have to face things like my house being
broken into and my stuff being stolen.

racheldavies@salforddaily.
co.uk
@racheeldavies

ON DUTY: Vinny Greener works in the Security Department.

Mr Greener gives advice on how students should protect their property: They need
to keep their property secure and have proper locks. If youre in private accommodation, I would ensure that the landlord provided five lever mortice lock, not just a
Yale lock. You lock and secure your windows, even while youre in the house. Dont
leave things on open display in the window like your laptops. Vinny understands that
students come from across the world to study in Salford, even from towns and villages
where there are smaller crime rates. He warns these students that crime is more common in bigger cities such as Salford and Manchester and where there is an opportunity
for crime, thieves will take it.
Salford University host open days throughout the year which gives prospective

Salford Daily FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014

3
Related articles

Facebook
group for
tracking
campus
bus
Finally, the days of constantly being
frustrated due to the campus bus
no-show are over for students and
staff at The University of Salford.
Two second year students have
set up a Facebook group called
Where it at thou ? to allow
students to find out exactly how
long theyll be waiting for the university-run bus. Students can help
their fellow peers by posting on
the page when they board with the
time and the place. For example,
18.10- Castle Irwell.
This will help in keeping a track
of the route of the bus around the
campus and will help students to
save time when it is running late.
Biomedical sciences student, Kuda
Kadera set up the group with flat
mate Mehsaan: We decided to
set up the page because due to
various reasons, whether it was
campus construction or rush hour
traffic, the bus is sometimes late
and students, including ourselves
have had to wait sometimes even
40 minutes for the bus before. The
pair also explained that some students arrived late for lectures due
to the issue so clearly something
had to be done.

Students
help
those in
need
SALFORD STREETS: Students avoid walking home alone at night.

udents in question
students the chance to find out more about what the courses they offer and get the
opportunity to view specialist facilities and meet the tutors from the students subject
area of interest. However, when people arrive in Salford for an open day, can they be
put off the university by their first impressions of the area?
Emma Keeley, a finance student at Liverpool John Moores University, and who is
originally from Manchester, explains how she felt when visiting the university for an
open day in 2012: First impressions were that it was a busy place and not a very
affluent area. There was a lot of people around on the open day so I felt safe but when
dark, if I lived there I may feel intimidated and unsafe as some of the walkways were
out of view with not much lighting. After Emma learned about the safety issues in
some parts of the city, what did she think about it now? I hadnt heard much about
the safety issues in the area but if I think I would have had to have considered it and it
wouldve played a part in my decision whether to go to that university. Does she feel
safer in a city such as Liverpool though? I feel safe in Liverpool City centre, however other areas may compare similarly to Salford with regard to crime rates, whereas
where I live is much less urban and therefore I feel a lot safer. There could always be
potential danger in a city, so Im always aware of it.
Salford University is only approximately 1.5 miles west of Manchester city centre and
with easy transport links, students can be there within minutes. It is also home to two
universities. Liam Bretag, an English Language and German student at the University
of Manchester says he chose to study in this city in particular as it seemed like a really
good university, a great city with good nightlife and lots to see and do.
Both Liam and Emma live in North Wales, when not at university. They agree that it
is a world away from safety in city life. Emma said: Theres more of a community feel
at home and a lot of people know each other making me feel safer whereas I dont
think you find that as much in cities.

where there is an opportunity for

crime, thieves will take it.

Now Liam is in Manchester, does he feel safe? Not always but a lot of the time. For
example, when walking down a quiet road at night on my own, I feel apprehensive.

It is clear that it is important to learn which parts of Manchester to avoid. Liam said:
I believe that North Manchester is more dangerous than South Manchester, e.g.
Northern Quarter, Ancoats area. All the areas Im usually in such as Withington, Didsbury and Fallowfield, I feel safe in. He explains that he uses MyManchester to find
out how to keep safe
and not be a victim of
crime. My Manchester
is a personalised online
space for students at
the University of Manchester. One section
of the website, named
Crucial Guide Live,
gives tips on safety and
can be viewed by the
public, not just current
students.
CATCHING THE BUS:
Mr Greener advises
Students travel free on the StageCoach
students to use public
transport, especially
service.
at night. The university provide free bus
transport for those studying at MediaCityUK as it is off campus. Students can hop on
the number 50 Stagecoach bus for free with their student ID cards. Mr Greener said:
Weve facilitated that with the bus company so students dont have to walk for two
miles and expose themselves to not only the opportunity for crime but to the weather.
Also, there is a university campus bus which runs from 8am to 11.30pm. What does
Vinny think about it? I think its a fantastic bus, I see it used regularly, it goes round the
entire campus, and its got several pick up points.
Despite these safety issues and the concerns outlined by the four student Salford
Daily spoke to, it does not stop 20,000 students from enrolling on a course at Salford
University. Vinny explains that as long as students are aware of their surroundings,
they can enjoy a safe and happy Salford experience.

The Law Society at The University of Salford have launched a

campaign to help those who need
supplies most this Christmas.
The appeal, named #SurvivingChristmas calls for donations of
whatever people can give including
money, food, baby clothes, toys,
winter clothing and sleeping bags.
Everything donated will help
support four city charities who
are looking after those vulnerable
over the festive period. These
charities are Windsor Drop-in
Centre, Project 34, Coffee4Craig
and Womens Aid. People are
encouraged to come to leave their
donations at several drop off points
at receptions across the universitys
campus including Maxell, Allerton,
MediaCity and The Students
Union in University House. Waqar
Aziz, the president at the society
said: During a special time of
celebration at Christmas, there will
be some who wont be celebrating
and instead looking for food and
shelter. This is a sad situation for
a country as rich as the UK. No
human should struggle for basic
things such as food and shelter in
such cold weather. Everyone who
donates an item will be mentioned
in the #SurvivingChristmas thank
you list. More information can be
found on the Law Societys website, http://www.salfordlawsociety.
org.uk/surviving-christmas-charity-appeal-2014/.

Giving Generously
Photo from @GHGrainger on
Twitter.