Calls for help to Exeter’s CCTV centre double during Freshers’ Week

TW: This article includes mentions of sexual assault and spiking.

Calls for help to Exeter’s CCTV control room double during Freshers’ Week, the team behind the city’s cameras have said.

According to the BBC, staff in the control room monitor more than 300 cameras across the city centre, along with dozens of “safe signs” showing a phone number and a location number so people can get help quickly.

On a normal day, the team handles more than 100 incidents, but that number more than doubled at the start of the academic year.

Dennis, city centre and control operations manager at Exeter City Council, said the majority of incidents involve antisocial behaviour linked to excess drinking.

He said: “We are there to reassure people that they are being monitored by CCTV, they are able to speak to a friendly voice who knows where they are and that help is on the way.”

Dennis described the system as a “deterrent for offenders”, adding that victims are always “one phone call away from immediate assistance”.

CCTV staff helped track down a man wanted over the sexual assault of a student

Dennis said one of the proudest moments of his career came when a member of his team helped identify a man who was wanted over the sexual assault of a student in the city centre.

She recognised him from the way he walked and the trainers he wore, leading to an immediate arrest.

Dennis said the man had been away from Exeter for six weeks and “could have been offending against other females” in that time. He added that his colleague had not only helped get justice for the victim, but had also stopped him offending in other parts of the country.

Around 40,000 at the University of Exeter use the SafeZone app

About 40,000 students and staff at the University of Exeter are registered on the SafeZone app. It lets users raise an emergency alert so security can find them.

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Every new starter at the uni also has to complete a consent training module.

Police have stepped up patrols at the start of term

Inspector Nathan Johnson from Devon and Cornwall Police said student safety is a priority for the force. There have been extra patrols and events raising awareness of issues like spiking.

“Spiking probably happens less than the fear of it, but the fear is still very real,” Nathan said.

“It’s really important to me that young people feel safe, not only from violence against women and girls, but also from spiking.”

A safe bus in Plymouth has a medical team on board

Down the road in Plymouth, a safe bus with a medical team on board runs on Saturday nights. Paramedic Will Price said most of the people they help are young, intoxicated, vulnerable and lost, though some cases are far more serious.

“In recent weeks we have had a stabbing and unconscious patients. They are rarities,” Will said.

The bus also carries spiking test kits and the team can help people get home safely.

If you have been affected by anything in this article, you can seek support via the University of Exeter’s Wellbeing Services, Samaritans and Rape Crisis.

Featured image: Pexels