Media Release: Bath and Bristol top the class for university campus safety

January 2009

Bath and Bristol Universities can boast they have two of the safest university campuses in the UK – following the news they have both won a prestigious national security award.

The University of Bath and the University of Bristol are the first universities in the country to achieve the police-approved Secured Environments award.

Secured Environments is a police certification scheme awarded to organisations that can show they have adopted six key principles for protecting themselves against crime. The award promotes good security practice in organisations by focusing on strategy, process and people.

Feedback from the panel who conducted the audit in Bath showed the University scored highly for its commitment to providing a secure environment and for the way its security team is managed and run.

Brian Schofield, Head of Security at Bath, said: "We are very proud to receive this national security award. We work very hard to ensure that all our staff and students can work, study and live in a safe and secure environment. This accreditation is just reward for all that effort and will further boost the University's standing both nationally and internationally as one of the safest places to study."

The audit at Bristol showed that the University had invested in effective processes and management in order to reduce crime and the fear of crime and worked hard to provide a balanced approach to security.

From left to right Jerry Woods, Security Services Manager The University of Bristol, Superintendent Geoff Spicer, Bath and North East Somerset Constabulary, Katy Owen, Research Consultant Perpetuity and Brian Schofield, Head of Security Services The University of Bath

Jerry Woods, Head of Security at Bristol, said: "After significant re-organisation within the security department over the last few years and the hard work of all security staff to increase professionalism of the service we provide, I am delighted that we are seen as making a difference to the many thousands of students and staff who study and work here. This award is a culmination of that effort."

Alan McInnes, General Manager of ACPO Secured by Design (which is owned by the Association of Chief Police Officers and works in partnership with Perpetuity Group to deliver Secured Environments), said: "We are pleased Bath and Bristol Universities have achieved this award. It demonstrates to staff, students, and potential students that the university authorities are committed to a safe and secure environment, not just on the day of accreditation, but as an important ongoing feature of management and university life."

The Secured Environments award will be presented to representatives from both universities at a special ceremony at the University of Bath on Monday, 26 January.

Notes to Editors:
The ceremony occurred on Monday 26th January, photos to follow.

Secured Environments is a risk management scheme that was launched on 12 April, 2007 to promote good security practices in organisations by focusing on strategy, processes and people.

The scheme has been developed by ACPO Crime Prevention Initiatives in partnership with Perpetuity, one of the country's leading crime and security consultancies and a spin-out from the University of Leicester. It complements the existing ACPO-supported Secured by Design schemes.

Secured Environments assesses organisations to see if they have made security an inherent part of how they are managed. If they pass the specified standards, organisations are certified as being secure by ACPO CPI and awarded the 'Police' Secured Environments Certificate.

A key advantage of Secured Environments is that it helps organisations to think about their risks and how to make the best use of security measures they already have.