Violence at Work and School
This Research Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS) report provides some emerging guidance to practitioners working with students, including those working in universities (e.g. student welfare, student unions, security departments, and accommodation offices), the police, and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs). The issues involved are associated with setting up, and implementing, initiatives to reduce student victimisation.
Title: Crimes Against Students: Emerging lessons for reducing student victimisation
Author: Research Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS.)
Series: Development and Practice Report 21
Number of pages: 18
Date Published: 22 March 2004
In April 2003 the Home Office published research conducted in 7 universities and higher education institutions in the East Midlands, which examined the incidence of student victimisation. The research undertaken asked students for their opinion of:
security issues
risk and fear of victimisation
lifestyle
crime prevention behaviours
More detailed questions were also asked about victimisation experiences. Research results showed from a sample of 315 students over the previous 12-month period:
31% had been the victim of crime
10% had been the victim of burglary.
Students living in privately-rented accommodation (12%) were over twice as likely to experience a burglary compared with those living in halls of residence (5%).
This research can be compared with the British Crime Survey (BCS) which examines levels of victimisation amongst a random sample of households in England and Wales. The 2002/03 BCS, shows that
27% of households were the victim of crime once or more during this year
3% of all households had experienced a burglary in 2002/03.
The risk of being victimised appears to increase if the head of the household is aged between 16 and 24. 8% of this group of individuals experienced a burglary.
Student Vulnerability
Students can be particularly vulnerable to burglary. Factors influencing their risk profile include their age, income, tenure, employment status, occupancy of house and accommodation type. A number of universities already carry out significant crime prevention initiatives to reduce levels of crime affecting students both on and off campus. These are often built on strong partnerships with key players to tackle the problem of student victimisation and include:
operating secure storage rooms for students to store their belongings during the university holidays
giving students crime prevention advice talks at the beginning of the term
giving students written crime prevention advice in the form of leaflets and displaying crime prevention posters around campuses
using emails to inform students of certain crime-related issues, such as where to be careful on and around the university campus
the promotion of 'Campus Watch' schemes.
the introduction of landlord accreditation schemes.
This report examines some active schemes in further detail and provides suggestions for reducing incidences of student victimisation, particularly burglary. It also offers some practical tips for setting up and running such schemes.
It is important to remember that student communities differ across the country, (i.e. university location and campus layout), and are constantly changing. Therefore, practices that work in one area may not automatically work in another and will need adapting to suit local circumstances. Similarly, local crime patterns must be continually monitored to ensure that interventions are effectively targeted.
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Last update: Wednesday, August 13, 2008