Police called to Cheney accommodation after mass gatherings

A Brookes warden said: ‘Anyone caught in a large gathering will be fined’


The police were called to Cheney Student Village student accommodation last night after students were seen gathering in large groups outside the blocks of flats.

Students told The Brookes Tab that the police turned up and shouted for everyone to leave and they “were knocking on doors” and that students all ran into their flats, away from the main social area at Cheney Student Village. Students also said that the police did not seem to be enforcing fines and that they felt it was more of a scare-tactic.

Witnesses also told The Brookes Tab a man was also arrested and led away from the accommodation by three policemen. The charges of the arrest are unknown.

The police soon drove away once the mass gathering had dispersed.

A Brookes warden said: “Anyone caught in a large gathering (more than six) or found in a flat that he/she’s not living in will be fined” and that “security now have body cameras so faces are recorded and if necessary, the footage can be used to identify students”.

They also said: “Security are instructed to call the police in the event of failure to provide identification when caught in a gathering”. For getting caught the first time, students will be fined £50, £100 for the second time and then they will be referred to the University Conduct Committee if they are caught a third time.

This comes after Oxford Brookes sent around an email to students asking them to “safely socialise”, saying students “should avoid mass gatherings, such as parties, and should keep your distance during social activities”. The email also said that they are “aware that police have already visited and shut down a number of large student gatherings” and that they “will be taking action against those students who fail to act responsibly”.

 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

New uni rankings are out and Brookes has outdone itself

Plush has reopened, but not as a club

Here’s everything you should expect as a fresher at Brookes