#copsoffcampus

Yesterday Surrey Police officers carried out a passive drugs dog operation in the grounds of the Royal Holloway (RHUL) campus. This blog is simply intended to provide some context around that event.

RHUL is a very safe university and sits comfortably within the top 20 safest UK universities. There are many reasons for this but a firm partnership between the staff, students, public and police is key to keeping the college’s reputation and students safe.

I suspect that the tweeps using the #copsoffcampus hash tag are probably new to the area and will not be aware of local issues…..

#copsoncampus are here to protect students from unscrupulous ‘visitors’ who target the campus as a place to make money illegally. Every year we hunt burglars and drug dealers who see students as easy pickings. Local officers will support you to to prevent you becoming a statistic.

The BIG issue for police is to encourage students to keep their property safe by taking simple security measures:

Lock your room; don’t leave property lying about in full view (especially in ground floor rooms and just behind your window). Don’t just allow people into your hall of residence or house off campus if you don’t know them. Challenge them. Report suspicious circumstances to college security and/or the police and warn your hall/house mates. (They might be able to reassure you).

Remember that we are all glad to have you here in the borough but you are joining a community that’s even larger than the college. So pick up the SU’s “Love Thy Neighbour” pack. Read it. Follow the advice!

For example if you walk up from Egham late at night please do so quietly. This is because many local folk will be trying to sleep before working in the morning. Noisy parties will frustrate your neighbours and so college staff, council workers and police patrol together to mitigate the damage caused. Interestingly many complaints of noise and anti-social behaviour that are made about students come from…….yep; other students who are trying to study!

As to the police presence on campus yesterday we are just benchmarking our intentions to address any illegal drug supply. You need to understand that where criminals are attracted to students’ cops will also attend to mitigate your risk. That’s the same as in the rest of Englefield Green and the rest of Runnymede.

Thanks for giving me the chance to respond to your concerns. Please feel free to follow up on the blog – this evening (Saturday 28th September 2013) you’ll find me patrolling in uniform. Feel free to stop me and chat. If you are not confident doing that then please check with your community liaison officers and the Students Union. Or post back on the blog.

Good luck with your studies – I’ll see you around.