As much as we might like to think otherwise, there's still plenty of bad behaviour in our society - not least in our centres of education. This is not the Ireland of the 1950s - or indeed the Japan of the 1990s; students all over the country are robbed, burgled and attacked every year. Tight security provisions are in place in most colleges and those with halls of residence tend to have around-the-clock surveillence. However, students have a part to play in their own safety, emphasises Olive Braiden of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.
"Students should learn the very first day they come into the college of the importance of protecting themselves and know the places in the college they can go to for help," she says.
The most likely items to be taken on campus are bicycles, coats and smaller items such as wallets and watches. As bicycle theft is the most common criminal offence reported by students, it would be worthwhile if you are bringing a bike to college to insure it. It is also advised that bikes be locked with either Kryptonite or alarm locks. Students should be wary of leaving watches in their shoes while training or swimming, and they shouldn't leave jackets hanging on chairs when taking a break. According to security desks in various colleges, once such items are taken there is little chance of retrieving them. In 1992 Campus Watch was set up in UCC - and this system has resulted in bicycle thefts dropping from 100 bikes in that year to just six in 1998.
UCC's Campus Watch team involves the Garda Siochana, and two counsellors are available to students who may be traumatised in any way, be it by attacks, burglaries or rape. Since 1992 there have been no reported rapes on the UCC campus.
There are security cameras located around the college and security services are contactable 24 hours a day through internal and external numbers. This is also the case in UCD, where the Unicare security project was set up in 1994. Staff members are happy with the progress it has made in reducing the level of crime.
The number of reported rape cases at Belfield has decreased slowly in recent years; however, the college has improved its security system in an attempt to eliminate oncampus rapes entirely. Close circuit security surveillance has been installed, covering the college, its grounds and car parks. There are also regular jeep and foot patrols on the UCD campus. In the last year, an escort service has been made available to people leaving the college alone late at night and in need of someone to escort them to a bus stop, wait with them for a taxi to come or accompany them safely to campus accommodation. Personal alarms are encouraged and offered to students at a discount rate of £3 from the students' union.
On-campus residents are given three keys: to their building, to their apartment and to their bedroom. Residential assistants are on duty between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. and will be in their rooms in residence if students need them after that.
Campus Watch was also introduced to UL in recent years. In the last year improved lighting has been installed on the college grounds and vegetation has been cut back, especially along footpaths leading to the college.
UL has other facilities to assist students with difficulties. "Students shouldn't feel they're an embarrassment - we are here to help them, whether the problem is academic, personal or financial," says Professor Kevin Ryan of UL.
"The sooner the students seek help the better, because as time goes by the problem has so overwhelmed them that tackling it is a much bigger job."
When a student is the victim of a sexual assault, early assistance is even more important: medical attention in the initial aftermath is crucial in the process of recovery. Olive Braiden has also stressed the importance of confiding in people: "It is harder for them if the people around them don't know. The more help and support they can get the easier recovery will be." To ensure the safety and security of the students at home, members of UCC's Campus Watch go around to houses and are able to tell them if their house has been broken into before, when occupied by other students. Most houses tend to have a latch lock that is easily pushed in. For greater security a bolt lock should also be put on the door, if it doesn't already have one.
The more people living together, the greater the risk of property being taken, with friends and friends of friends passing through the house. This is why insurance companies are reluctant to give students insurance - but do students really want it?
Last year, insurance brokers HSBC Gibbs McDowell came up with a contents insurance policy designed specifically for students, with no security requirements. Premiums started at £39 for students living in designated halls of residence and £59 for those in shared or non-self-contained accommodation. The policy covered fire and theft, including hi-fi systems and CDs - the sort of things often taken from student accommodation.
The policy has since been discontinued due to low take-up. "I don't understand it," Walter Murray of HSBC says. "It was like me inventing the wheel and giving it to them and they saying, `No, it's okay, I'll walk.' " However, Murray does not rule out introducing such a policy in the future if sufficient interest could be guaranteed.
There are no other policies of this kind currently being offered by insurance companies or brokers. To qualify for insurance under the current circumstances, students must live in purpose-built accommodation, with a family or a small number of people, and the house or flat should have strong security locks and alarms. However, even when students do fulfil these security requirements, insurance is not guaranteed.
For many students, especially those starting off, safety and security are the last things on their minds; but playing it safe is not hard work, it is a way of life - as instinctive as putting up an umbrella when it rains or turning the light on when it gets dark.
