Students at the University of Hull have received safety goody bags, containing drink test strips, personal alarms, torches, alcohol unit measures, bag security cables and other items. Funding has come from the Crime Prevention Fund, a pot financed by Hull City Council, which invites local groups and organisations of all sizes to bid for grants to tackle crime through community-based solutions. Humberside Police made the bid for the funding, with the support of the university and the council’s Citysafe and Neighbourhood Teams.
The goody bags were given away during a Student Safety Week held at the University Students’ Union, where students had the chance to engage with groups, services and organisations around the city. Hundreds of items were given away, all with the aim of helping keep people safe.
Items included:
- Personal alarms with a torch
- Drink test strips – which are also available at bars on campus and within the city centre
- Alcohol unit measure cups
- Purse and bag cable – which attach belongings to their owner with a discrete cord
- Key-chain torch
- UV property marker pens, and ‘beware: property marked window sticker
- Branded pens
- Bag hanger – which grips onto a pub or bar table, so bags can be kept close
- High-vis wristbands.
Cllr Linda Tock, whose portfolio includes antisocial behaviour and community safety, said: “This is the second year partnership work has funded these safety goodie bags for students. We know they go down well, help improve students’ safety and help people feel more safe.
“The items have been chosen because they address key concerns students have identified – including drink spiking, and bags and purses being snatched and property being recovered.
“One of our priorities as a council is making Hull a safer place to live and work. Students are an important part of that, whether they are local people, just here while they study, or choose to make Hull their home afterward.
“The Crime Prevention Fund, which financed this project, was launched by the council towards the end of 2022. It has enabled a range of projects, all dedicated to improving safety for our communities and has made a visible, tangible improvement for residents. Public spaces are more secure and better lit, sports club facilities improved, belongings and homes better protected from theft, and outreach projects are able to continue going out into local neighbourhoods and preventing crime before it starts.
“We look forward to seeing the future schemes which make successful bids throughout 2025”.
A spokesperson for the University of Hull said: “Through engagement with Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, Humberside Police and Hull City Council, students can learn how to keep themselves and their belongings safe during their time in Hull. By providing personal alarms, drink testing strips and other safety items, we help students feel safer in the city. Many international students, as well as those from groups with protected characteristics, participate in community events, and the safety items provided helps build their confidence within their new home.
“By partnering with local charities at these events, we’re bringing students new to the nighttime economy valuable knowledge about sexual violence, drug and alcohol abuse, spiking, and self-protection.”
