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Security at uni

ok, well whats the security at uni like? in general?
cos with laptops and mobile phones and everything does a lot of stuff get nicked or what?
thanks

Reply 1

Knogle

I'm pretty sure that depends on the individual university you're referring to?

You could try posting on the university forum of the university you're applying in.

Anyhow, general common sense applies. Don't leave your valuables lying around, and they won't be stolen. =)

Reply 2

sexysax

Mine is pretty good , I think. I've had nothing stolen yet *touch wood*

We also have 24hour security on our site

Reply 3

james101

anyone can walk into our uni, i havent seen any security guards.

Reply 4

~Sam~

sanjiv

Anyhow, general common sense applies. Don't leave your valuables lying around, and they won't be stolen. =)

:dito:. And also, if you're carrying your laptop about, don't carry it in a laptop case with 'dell' or whatever in massive letters. It screams out that you have £1000 worth of equipment on you. Carry it in a rucksack or whatever instead. No one I know has had anything stolen yet, but Cardiff is meant to be quite a safe city. We have security on our site too.

Reply 5

Monkey_Maiden

Brighton where i am is pretty dodgy, already thers been an assault and hostage hold up by some guys with guns :eek:

they said there are cctv cameras and patrol men but nobody has seen them

Reply 6

Apricot Fairy

It really depends on where you are living, and can differ greatly even between different halls in the same university. I find that in general, halls which are arranged as flats rather than corridors are more secure.

Two years ago I stayed at Warwick Uni with my then boyfriend. He was living in a long corridor. All a thief had to do was tailgate and look innocent so that the person in front of them would politely hold open the front door, assuming that they actually lived there. He could then get into the corridor, and into any room that happened to be unlocked. When I was staying, my boyfriend and I were sitting together in his room when the door opened and two guys looked in. He had never seen them before, so he asked what they wanted. One of them said, "Oh, sorry, we're looking for Sophie." My ex said he didn't know who Sophie was, and they apologised and left. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and his friend Katherine came in. She asked whether we'd just had two guys barge in looking for Sam. They got suspicious and called security. My ex and Katherine were right at the beginning of the corridor, nearest the door, so the two guys would only have been in the building for a few minutes at most. During that time, they found three doors open with no one inside, and took three laptops. One of my ex's friends, Louise, had just gone into the kitchen, which was directly opposite her room, to put the kettle on. She was gone for a minute, and her laptop was taken.

At Bristol, the halls which are arranged as corridors have some security measures in place. However, the "solution" appears to be that whenever you shut your door, it automatically locks, which means that people are constantly getting locked out of their rooms. On the first night, I believe one hall had over 50 call-outs for people who had locked themselves out. Many people managed it within the first half an hour. This means that some people prop their doors open, which isn't exactly secure. The hall staff say they will confiscate anything found being used as a doorstop, but they can't be everywhere, all the time.

I personally find my flat to be very secure. This is because I have a key to get into the building, the flat and my room. You can also get into the building if you know the code for the outside door, but to get into a flat, you need to either have a key, or someone needs to let you in. The flat doors lock automatically. The bedroom doors don't lock automatically, and I tend to leave mine open when I'm in the kitchen, but we know that no one can get in without authorisation. The advantage of living in a flat is that from day one, you know who is supposed to be there and who isn't, whereas in a corridor it can take a while to get to know everyone, and in the first week or two, someone could easily walk in and no one would ever know they didn't live there.

One final plea: You will usually be given a key with your room and/or flat number on it. Please, please don't attach it to any form of ID, or keep it with anything that says which residence you live in. If you lose your keys and they have your address on, it's basically a message saying, "This is where I live and here is the key. Please feel free to come and take all my stuff."

If you lose your bag, containing both keys and ID, tell your hall staff immediately, as they will need to take extra security measures until you find your key, or until they change all the locks.

Reply 7

itcybitcy

thanks! for the advice.
I might see if i can get some cheep insurance aswell, just in-case. :redface:

Reply 8

Apricot Fairy

Insurance is essential, although in my halls insurance is compulsory and they invoice you for it with the first installment of hall fees anyway.

Reply 9

Crisps

With our hall, you have to get through 3 doors to get into your room. The first door is the external door into your block. The next door is the door at the start of your corridor, and the last door is your room key. What I find strange is that the external key will work for the outside door of your block and your corridor key, but it won't work on other corridors. These corridors use the same door as you to get in and out of the building. Also, some of our room keys in our corridor actually work on other peoples doors! I can open 3 doors as well as my own. This turns into a 'lets see whos key works in whever's door' game, and therre have been a few rloom rearrangements whenm people have gone home for the weekend. It's a serious matter though and some people can steal from certain people if they want to.

We also have compulsory halls insurance, but it is basic and only covers you if there is a sign of forced entry. There should be an Endsleigh Insurance place sonewhere on your campus (normally in the Student's Union/Guild, whichever you have), and they are the cheapest I know for insurance

Reply 10

Juno

CrispyJ

There should be an Endsleigh Insurance place sonewhere on your campus (normally in the Student's Union/Guild, whichever you have), and they are the cheapest I know for insurance

For most people, Endsleigh are most expensive! It was twice as much for me to go with them and I got less cover than I did with Saxon Direct. So shop around.

Reply 11

Hanzing

susiemakemeblue

I personally find my flat to be very secure. This is because I have a key to get into the building, the flat and my room. You can also get into the building if you know the code for the outside door, but to get into a flat, you need to either have a key, or someone needs to let you in. The flat doors lock automatically. The bedroom doors don't lock automatically, and I tend to leave mine open when I'm in the kitchen, but we know that no one can get in without authorisation. The advantage of living in a flat is that from day one, you know who is supposed to be there and who isn't, whereas in a corridor it can take a while to get to know everyone, and in the first week or two, someone could easily walk in and no one would ever know they didn't live there.

Totally agree, To Get into my block you first need a code to unlock the door, Then each flat has a front door that needs a key to unlock, then I need another key for my room. This means while in the flat you are safe as no one can get in without being let in by you, hence We all know each other and can leave our doors open the majority of the time when In. Its pretty secure. You know whos in your flat, and so you wont make the mistake of leting someone who isnt in.

Reply 12

username9303

Yer security is pretty good at most uni's, you're more likely to get something nicked going to and from uni - especially if you have to walk through dodgy areas in the process.

ollie :biggrin:

Reply 13

Apricot Fairy

We've been here a month and my flatmate has had his car broken into twice. He's had his CD player and his amps nicked. It's because he's got a boy-racer's car, and thieves expect there to be boys' toys in it.

Reply 14

viviki

check out your parents home insurance policy. My parents have been able to insure my room on it as an extra for a fraction of what my endsleigh was last year. And it includes me being able to take stuff like laptop and musical instruments out of my room.

Room insurance is essential. There was a halls fire at one of the halls in my first year of uni and tons of people lost everything.

Reply 15

Knogle

Wow, that must have been very costly. I never really even thought of room insurance, but now that you mention it, it makes sense. :smile:

Reply 16

Bexxxx

Some unis do have real good security - at mine,catered halls needed a card to get in the main door, on their coridoor, and a key for their rooms, - tho everyone would prop their doors open anyway! And self catered, i needed a key for the main door, a key for my flat and then one for my room, but looking back, our block was like a theifs dream! we never locked anything and were constantly in and out of each others flats/rooms! - but nothing ever happened.

Reply 17

qwerty_st/n

on the whole, security's pretty good at our halls, but over the summer months, july/august time, there was only nursing students still left here as well as a few others who stayed over the summer, and security was rubbish, the main door that you need a fob to open was taped so that it didnt lock, and one of the vehicle gates is broken, and so its left open, so any old scruff could walk in.....but then again we do live right next door to a police station so i suppose that acts as a deterrent, i know i feel a bit safer with them there.