What preventative safety measures should be in place after the Cathays attacks?
‘The Union should definitely do more’
Sarah BrownFollowing three assaults in five days during Freshers’ Week, we wanted to know what preventative measures you thought should be put in place by Cardiff institutions.
Has the Union had done enough, could they do more? And do you feel safe? Following last week’s summit between the institutions, do you thought lad culture, perhaps, was to blame?
Freshers Gabby and Kirsty, Business
They believe students should be given defensive items such as pepper spray
Gabby: “They should issue anything, we need to protect ourselves. Tazers. Pepper spray. Probably even just a rape alarm would do. It shouldn’t have gotten to this point as it is.”
Kirsty: “I’m from a rough area as it is, it’s common sense for you to not go out at night like that. I mean we are in a city even if it’s Cardiff, so to walk alone at night is a bit silly.”
Caragh, third year, English Literature
‘We have to stick together’
“The Union should definitely do more. The safe taxi scheme doesn’t work and won’t help, especially if people are being over-charged. Consent classes should only be done if they are done right. Since all the incidents I am definitely more cautious.
“The other night we were walking home and this girl and guy stopped us, she asked us for directions and when he turned around she mouth to us ‘help us’. So what could we do? We sent him on his way and took her into our house to order her a taxi home. We have to stick together.”
Tasha & Bella, third year, English Literature
Tasha and Bella think there needs to be more volunteers
“It’s diabolical. We need people out there protecting us, like police and volunteers, or lads to walk these people home. One idea we had was to have girls in groups around Cathays to pick up the girls on their own. If people volunteer to be on the safety bus then why not for before someone is paralytic? It is so bad.”
Freshers Steph & Megan, English Literature
“An email is just not enough”
“We should be doing something. Bringing in more precautions, more safety. We need to. Everything we’ve done right now is limited and we really could’ve done more. An email just is not enough.”
Ben Foster, first year, Criminology and Social Policy
He doesn’t think the union are doing enough
“I’m shocked the Union aren’t doing anything. But then what could they do? I really think rape alarms would be a good idea. But otherwise I think they’re as lost as we are.”
Andy, first year, History and Politics
Andy thinks we are smart enough to make our own decisions
“The way the university has said it’s lad culture is almost fair. To generalise everyone makes people aware that these things do happen and it reflects on us as a whole. You do have to protect people but only to an extent. You’re at university, you’re smart enough to know.”
Freshers Billy, Ferg and Zac, Earth Science
These boys don’t think lads are to blame
“I feel like they should be targeting the local population as well. It’s 50/50 in who’s being convicted. Maybe they shouldn’t have such far away accommodations, causing drunk girls and guys to stumble around in the streets trying to get home.
“At the Union, they should have more security on the outside of the place. We never see anyone doing anything. We don’t think its the lads and it shouldn’t just be us blamed.”
Claire Totten, sceond year, Dentistry
Claire believes it’s a “community problem”
“Well with security we don’t really see them around. There’s more of a presence, sure, but I have to walk home at night and I don’t like admitting it but I do. It’s just one of those things and I don’t know if more security would help that.
“It’s not just the Union, or the students or the public who need to be addressed in this issue it’s everyone. It’s a community problem. I mean our Union is great, it is one of the best in the country but maybe they should let us know, show us what is actually being done.”