With the new academic year bringing along a plethora of events both on our campuses and across Southampton, we would like to reassure you once again that here at the University of Southampton your safety is of utmost importance. Below you can find a few of the arrangements we have in place, as well as a few resources and precautions you can take to keep yourself safe.
Keeping safe from drink spiking
We work closely with the Southampton University Students’ Union, city venues, the city council and the police to prevent drink spiking incidents and promote zero tolerance of spiking. Our work against drink spiking includes:
- This Welcome Weekend we provided anti-spiking drink covers to students.
- Security guards are present at any events involving drinking or late-night activity.
- Our Security teams are available on each of our campuses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The teams are trained in first aid, patrol all our campuses regularly, and monitor campus-wide CCTV systems. Find out more about our Security teams.
- Bag searches are statutory for everyone entering our spaces and checks of toilets and any secluded areas are conducted.
To minimise the chances of a spiking incident, we would also advise you to:
- Always watch your drinks being poured and go to the bar if someone offers to buy you a drink.
- Always keep an eye on your drink and use a drink cover if you can for extra protection.
If you suspect your (or someone else’s drink) has been spiked, immediately find a safe spot and notify venue staff, who should be able to offer help and first aid. Staff on our campuses are trained under the national Ask for Angela scheme, supporting any student to discreetly raise any issues of safety to a staff member at a venue who will be able to offer appropriate support.
General safety tips for nights out
- Make sure you charge your phone before you go out.
- Stick together with your friends as much as possible both during the night out and on the journey home.
- Save a couple of numbers for licensed taxi firms, and keep enough cash on you to pay for your journey home.
- Check the Unilink bus website for full timetables and routes – the buses cover various points of interest around Southampton, including Highfield Campus, City Centre, and halls of residence.
- If you are leaving Highfield Campus late at night, the SUSU Safety Bus is another alternative to get home – it runs regularly from 20:00 until late every day, taking you from the SUSU Redbrick right to your doorstep. Check out the SUSU website for the full Safety Bus schedule.
Getting support
The Student Hub is available for wellbeing support 24/7 via online chat, via email at [email protected], or by telephoning 023 8059 9599.
You can also use the Report and Support tool to report an incident – you will then be contacted by an advisor who can help you get support.
For more information about keeping safe on nights out, as well as keeping safe in general, head to the Student Safety Site. This is an internal platform made in collaboration with Hampshire Police which contains official, reliable information on fifteen different issues – how to prevent them, how to report them, and where to find support if you ever need it – whether it’s from the University, the Police, or an external organisation.