CRIME at the University of Worcester’s campuses and buildings has more than doubled in the last five years according to police figures.
A total of 89 crimes were reported in 2014 on the university’s site last year compared to only 40 offences being recorded back in 2010 in figures released by West Mercia Police under a Freedom of Information request.
A surge in admissions has seen the student population reach more than 10,000 in the last few years and now makes up more than ten per cent of the city’s residents.
Among the crimes were a large number of bicycle thefts and the university has launched a crackdown on such crime with several measures in place to prevent students and members of the public falling victim to crime.
“Last year, recorded crimes at the university’s many sites across the city made up less than one per cent of total crimes recorded in Worcester, and the number of crimes is very low by national standards,” a University of Worcester spokeswoman said.
“The university is fully committed to ensuring that Worcester is one of the very safest cities in the country,” she added.
The university is one of only two in the country to have dedicated Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and trained security officers licensed by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).
“Our aim is to prevent crime and to ensure that any crime which is committed is reported; that the wrongdoers are identified and convicted wherever possible; and that every victim is given the best possible support,” the spokeswoman added.
“The university upholds very high standard of behaviour, and the improvement in our already excellent safety record brought about by our PCSOs and security team working closely with students and staff means that we are very successful in detecting crime if it is committed.
“We work very positively with West Mercia Police, the Neighbourhood Watch and local community and would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our many partners for their excellent work in making the university and city safer.”
Insp Jessica Loxley- Clark said: “Worcester is a safe place to live, work and study. It is inevitable that some crimes will occur where you have a large population of people, however, we are pleased that serious incidents are extremely rare.
“We work very closely with the university and have two dedicated Community Support Officers based at the campus, who work with students to ensure they stay safe and integrate well with the community.
Visit www.westmercia.police.uk/student-safety for crime prevention tips ahead of the new student year.
