Southampton Park at night 

Student safety in Southampton

Written by Jess Hemson and Abbie Chapman

The disappearance of York University student leads Southampton to up safety measures

Southampton park at night

After the disappearance of York University student, Megan Roberts aged 20, students are being urged more than ever to stay safe on nights out in Southampton.

Claudia Lawrence, who worked at York University as a cook, went missing around five years prior to the disappearance of Megan.

Investigators have recently reviewed the case in the hope of finding new evidence to help find her body.

The disappearance of students happens everywhere, for example, 17-year-old Adam Pickup went missing in Manchester during a night out in December 2013. His body was later discovered, when he died as a result of a fall during the night.

Southampton City Council has ensured that students are kept safe by implementing a number of schemes. The “Take a mate” poster campaign is probably one of the most recognisable schemes for Solent students. The idea is to reinforce and encourage people to always walk home in groups, or at least with one other person that you know.

Another scheme the Student Union has put into place is the “The knight bus”, a minibus service from the university library, to polygon and halls. It’s a free service run by students, to decrease the amount of people walking through the parks and town at night, and improving the safety of students.

If you have any enquiries or suggestions on how to make Southampton a safer city during the night, contact: 

community.safety@southampton.gov.uk 

or phone 023 8083 3988.