Staying Safe in Halls and the Local Area

Staying safe in halls and around Southampton

Halls Safety

University life means independence for the first time for a lot of us, which also means we are responsible for looking after ourselves for the very first time. I was very glad to know when I was a first-year student that the university halls have a 24/7 reception and security team that are there for residents if they are feeling unsafe, so be reassured that they are there to keep you safe on site. They are the people to contact if you feel unsafe at any point in your time of living in halls.

The main thing is keeping your room secure by locking it, even if you are going to your communal kitchen or bathroom, as you need to remember that you don’t fully know your flatmates yet. University halls see a high level of foot traffic, and it only takes someone wandering into an open room. I must admit sometimes it was very tempting to leave my room unlocked when I went on a quick trip to the kitchen to get water, but don’t do that because you never know who is going to be hanging out around your flat.

Another major security risk is letting someone tailgate you into your building. Although holding the door open is the polite thing to do if someone is behind you, if you don’t recognise them as living in the building don’t let them follow you in. It is important for each resident to use their own keys and fobs to keep out people who may be trying to steal from students or intending to cause harm.

Be especially careful if you live on the ground floor of your building, specifically with your windows. Try and build the habit of locking your window each time you leave your room and keep expensive items like laptops and tablets out of direct sight from the window.

I recommend getting to know other people who live at your hall’s site, not just with the intention of making friends but to also watch out for one another. It will make you and everyone else feel safer, as all they’re trying to do is look after themselves too.

Safety in the Local Area 

Staying safe in the local area means making sure to take full advantage of your free bus pass in halls, especially after dark. If you’re going out on your own, I highly recommend taking the bus as, unfortunately, Southampton has its own share of disturbing individuals and getting the bus can make you feel safer. If you can go out with others, I highly recommend doing that. There’s safety in numbers.  

Please look out for one another on night’s out. It is so important to have the people you go out with. It is so important to make sure that the people you go out with get home safely. Even if they want to leave before you, make sure they call an Uber, or get a bus home safely, or even go back with them. Look out for each other in the club environment too, if anything seems unusual, alert security staff.  

If you are travelling home from any SUSU run events, feel free to use the Safety bus, to get home safely which are available on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. They will ensure you get home safe even if you live as far out as Winchester. More information on the Safety Buses can be found here: https://www.susu.org/help-support/susu-safety-bus/