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STUDENTS: PROTECT YOURSELVES AND STAY SAFE THIS SUMMER |
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Saturday, 08 April 2006 |
A new web-based toolkit, devised by the Home Office and the National Union of Students, is launched today, giving student welfare officers advice and tips on working in partnership with their institution, police and others to reduce crime against students.
The toolkit contains practical advice on staying safe, deterring burglary and protecting against street crime and will be published by the NUS on their 'Officer on Line' website.
It will be available online to 750 student unions in universities and colleges throughout England and Wales, enabling them to advise fellow students of the best way to protect themselves and how to get help when needed.
It also contains ideas about how Student Welfare Officers can raise awareness of student crime on their campuses and run crime prevention initiatives.
Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said:
"Being at university is one of the most exciting experiences anyone can have. But it can be spoiled by unexpected crime, which can be a devastating experience for someone living away from home for the first time. Young people aged 16 to 24 year old are around three times more likely to be victims of burglary than people in other age groups. Helping students with practical advice will help us to tackle that.
"That is why we have joined together with the NUS to produce this toolkit to help students protect themselves at this important time in their lives. I hope this toolkit will provide welfare officers with valuable information that they can pass on to fellow students throughout their time at university or college."
NUS Vice president Welfare, Veronica King, said:
"NUS is proud to present the Home Office 'Student welfare toolkit'. The Home Office and NUS have been working very hard to put together examples of best practice on how to keep crime down on campus and make students safer. Students come to university or college with their brand new laptops, and the latest i-pods, and personal safety is not usually their top priority, with the excitement of student life taking over. Unfortunately, 1 in 3 students becomes the victim of a crime each year at university. We hope students' unions will use the toolkit as a way to increase awareness of crime and make student life a crime-free experience."
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