DSU working in partnership with key partners to keep students safe

De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU) is working in partnership with De Montfort University (DMU), Leicestershire Police and a number of key local contacts including ADT Taxis to keep students safe.

We have been extremely concerned to read reports on social media, from DMU students, of alleged incidents close to campus.

The safety of our members is of paramount importance to us, and we have been working closely with the university, Leicestershire Police and our own security partners to advise students and support where necessary.

Derrick Mensah, Vice President (VP) Student Activities at DSU, led a highly productive meeting with student group committee members on Monday evening alongside key colleagues from the university including Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andy Collop.

As a result of this meeting, we want to remind students of a few key tips on staying safe;

• there’s safety in numbers – walk home with friends and try not to walk on your own in the dark;
• stick to well-lit routes like main roads – don’t take short cuts or walk through Bede Park;
• where possible, take a taxi instead of walking;
• keep your personal possessions (especially phones) hidden and out of sight in a pocket or bag;
• try not to draw unwanted attention to yourself;
• in a real emergency, dial 999 when safe to do so;
• and report any crimes, concerns or near misses to both the Police and DMU Security.

We’ve also worked with our partners ADT Taxis to set fixed rate fares to a number of locations. The cost for a single journey between the DMU campus to or from the following locations is fixed at £4 for a car with up to four passengers, and £6 for a vehicle with up to eight passengers;

• Applegate Place;
• Bede Hall;
• Filbert Village;
• Liberty Court (and Liberty Court Annex);
• Liberty Park;
• Merlin Heights;
• Narborough Road;
• New Wharf Hall;
• Newarke Point;
• St Martins House;
• The Glassworks;
• The Grange;
• Upperton Road;
• Waterway Gardens;
• and York Road.

There will also be an increased security presence on the DMU campus on Wednesday evening.

You can contact DMU Security on 0116 257 7642, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.