Whilst we want you to get involved with all our Freshers’ events and immerse yourself in Plymouth’s vibrant and diverse night life, your safety is our number one priority.
We work closely with local police to ensure that our campus and surrounding area is as safe as possible for our students. We also have a number of safety measures, schemes and services which are in place to help keep you safe on nights out at the SU.
Please familiarise yourself with our important policies and safety services below: you never know when you or a friend may be in need of our help.
SU Safety Schemes:
We do not allow entry to the SU to any of our events without seeing your Student ID. This excludes non-student plus ones but the student signing them in will need to show their ID.
We frequently do random bag checks and searches. Our door team may ask to search your bag on entry.
You can ask for drink spike test from the SU bar at any point. You may also be approached by a member of staff and offered a drink spike test.
You can also ask the SU bar team for StopTopps. StopTopps are versatile drink-protectors that have been designed to deter drink spikers. They are suitable for any drinking vessel. Learn more about StopTopps here.
Award-winning Plymouth Night Patrol is a lifesaving team dedicated to night time emergency response and safeguarding the student community. These volunteers receive extensive training allowing them to deploy, tri-weekly, onto Plymouth's streets, safeguarding their peers on nights out. These volunteers are taking a break during the summer but will return in September in time for the start of Freshers' Week. Find out more about Plymouth Night Patrol, including what they do and their training, here.
Need a Cab to or from the SU? Run out of cash or lost your card? Use your Student ID to pay for your taxi ride and collect it and pay the next day from the SU! UPSU have partnered up with Need-A-Cab to be our official taxi provider for UPSU and to provide the Safe Taxi Scheme. To use the Safe Taxi Scheme, ring 01752 666222 and they will contact you when they arrive, making you aware of their car model and registration number, ensuring you feel safe and secure and know where to go.
The SU supports the Ask for Angela campaign: a really clever idea that was instigated by Hayley Child the Substance Misuse Strategy Coordinator for Lincolnshire County Council.
The poster was designed to compliment the councils NO MORE campaign and is currently being displayed in the county clubs and bars with the help of Lincolnshire Pubwatch members.
The poster is a visual aid which might provide a vital life-line to someone who finds themselves in a difficult situation and can’t get out of it.
‘Hi I’m Angela,’ the poster says. ‘Are you on a date that isn’t working out? Do you feel like you’re not in a safe situation? Is your Tinder or POF [Plenty of Fish] date not who they said they were on their profile? Does it all feel a bit weird?
‘If you go to the bar and ask for ‘Angela’ the bar staff will know you need some help getting out of your situation and will call you a taxi or help you out discreetly – without too much fuss.’
Learn more about the Ask for Angela campaign here.
Things you can do to keep yourself safe on nights out:
Campus security and local police are there to help, but there are things that you can do to protect yourself and look out for others around you...
- walk in well-lit areas and where there are lots of people
- know your location, be aware of your surroundings, and stay alert
- always carry your phone and make sure it is charged
- if you look and act drunk, you are more vulnerable – please drink responsibly
- make sure you are going out with people you know and trust – friends look after each other
- plan how you are going to get home after, are you walking with friends or getting a taxi home?
- if you order a taxi, make sure it is licensed. If the taxi driver doesn’t know your name – don’t get in!
- if you have run out of money or lost your card, use the SU taxi scheme
Devon and Cornwall Police Student Safety Guide
Please also familiarise yourself with the 'Personal Safety' page of the Devon and Cornwall Police Student Safety guide.
If you ever need to speak to Devon and Cornwall police, you can contact them online or by calling 101. You can also find details of your nearest police enquiry office here.
In an emergency, always call 999.
Read the complete Devon and Cornwall Police Student Safety guide here.