‘This year has been awful’: Trent student opens up about the dangers of living in Nottingham

A Nottingham Trent University student has taken to TikTok, showing followers the measures she takes to feel safe when walking home from the library.

Sadie O’Neill, a 20-year-old costume design student at Nottingham Trent and social secretary of NTU Netball, shared a TikTok video where she is walking home with her keys between her fingers.

She captioned the video: “POV: you’re walking home after the library lock in but you live in Notts and it’s 5am”.

Speaking to The Notts Tab, Sadie explained: “You can try your best to stay as safe as possible, but still, anything can happen.”

The average crime rate in Nottingham last year was 105 crimes per 1,000 people. This came in 37 per cent higher than Nottinghamshire as a whole.

@sadiewadi

She just wants to sleep #fyp #notts #ntu #girlthings

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Violent or sexual crime rates per 1000 residents for where students live during term time was 11.3 for the University of Nottingham and 21.8 for Nottingham Trent. This is higher than neighbouring University of Loughborough at 10.9.

Sadie said: “The amount of stuff that’s happened while I’ve been at Notts, when it happens, it really make you question a lot of things and you become really self aware of how to be safe on a night out. This year has been especially awful for safety.”

Student safety in Nottingham has become a heavy topic since the murder of 19-year-old University of Nottingham students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber in June 2023.

Since then, Nottinghamshire Police recorded a record-breaking year for weapon seizing, as more than 200 knives were taken off the streets by a specialist police team.

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Sharing her advice to freshers on staying safe in Nottingham, Sadie said: “Follow everything you can, I know that defiantly helped me a lot.Being in a society helps because there’s a whole group of people who can help you. Follow any account about the Nottingham area as it has so much information on their that you need.”

Last week, the Nottinghamshire Police University Policing Team partnered with the University of Nottingham to launch Campus conversations.

Brydie Adams, Head of Community Engagement at UoN, said: “We want every student to feel heard and supported. This initiative offers a confidential space for advice and incident reporting, as well as informal questions to get to know the team better. By bringing these drop-ins onto our campuses, we’re working to build trust and ensure our students know that help is easily accessible.”

PCSO Paula Hipkiss of the University of Nottingham’s policing team, said “As the force’s dedicated university officers, we can often be found patrolling the campus and residential areas, at stalls during events and listening to concerns.

“We want to take that a step further, though, and give priority time for our student community so they can make their views heard. So, whether you want crime prevention tips, have concerns about your local area, or learn more about our role on campus – we will be there to ask, support and protect.”

For students who need help, Nottingham Trent University Security operates 24 hours a day, with the number appearing on the back of students NTU card, as well as the dedicated University Police team.

University of Nottingham students can gain support through their online Report and Support page for campus issues or the University Police team.

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