Student safety: ongoing concerns

Your Vice President (Welfare) Owen Marques responds to ongoing coverage in the media,

It is distressing to hear reports of the recent spiking incidents and the reality of what many people have to deal with on, what should otherwise be, an enjoyable night out. Through what would ordinarily be an introduction period for new students to “club life” - potentially in a new city, it is imperative that we all do our part to keep each other safe.

Personal accounts of incidents being reporting in the media mean that the severity of the situation can’t be avoided and we (The Union) are ultimately here to support students in whatever action they choose to take, especially when it comes in the best interest of their safety.

Whether you're going out or staying in, we're here for you. Therefore, we hope to reassure students that our affiliation and working partnership with the Stonegate Group and Mukky Duck, and our ongoing relationship with local policing and neighbourhood teams, outline a collaborative commitment to a 'Safe Night Out' below:

A message from Mukky Duck:

With Wednesday nights being strictly student only, you have a unique opportunity to go out into (Derby) town and have no contact with locals once inside the venue. This allows all parties involved to focus all their efforts on student safety and the issues affecting students, without having to worry about non-student issues. There are multiple layers of safeguarding in place to protect students, ranging from Drinkaware training and SIA trained staff to risk assessments and full oversight of the Union of Students. Mukkyduck takes student safety in general, not just female safety, and not just drink spiking extremely seriously.

The penalty for possessing drugs, weapons, being under the influence of drugs or dealing drugs in a Mukkyduck night is instant and permanent barring from the venue, and we take all matters of drug related incidents as the highest priority. Where required, we involve the Union of Students and the Police.

A message from Popworld Derby:

• Our priority is to keep you safe, working in close partnership with the Student Union and Police, whilst keeping the party-vibes going all night long.
• Below are a few examples of how we are currently keeping you safe:
• We are student only venue on a Wednesday and ask to see student ID on entry to maintain this policy.
• To keep you secure we operate a 100% search policy – all persons and bags are searched on entry and re-entry.
• We ask that you are present when your drink is served and we serve in clear cups.
• To protect you we offer cling film to cover your drinks should you require it – just ask!
• For your safety we employ circa.10 door staff (both male and female) on a Wednesday, our student nights.
• A member of staff checks the toilets at least every 15 minutes.
• If you are feeling vulnerable, unsafe or unwell we operate the Ask Angela Scheme, just ask for Angela at the bar and the staff will know you need some help. Posters detailing the scheme can be found in all of our toilets.
• We have trained first aiders on site. If need assistance, please alert a member of our team and we’ll take you to a quiet area to be seen by our first aider.
• We have a zero tolerance on drugs. Our teams have undertaken drugs awareness training and are aware how to spot symptoms and take action accordingly.
• If you need help getting home speak to one of our team. We will call a taxi for you and a member of door staff will wait with you until you are safely in the taxi.
• If you see anyone behaving suspiciously or are worried about anything, report to a member of our door staff or bar team immediately.

A spokesperson for Popworld said: The safety and wellbeing of our customers has always been a priority. We want to ensure every can enjoy themselves in our venue, in a safe environment. We operate a zero-tolerance policy on anything that puts our team and customers in harm’s way in our venue and work closely with all local authorities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our customers. We take every allegation and every customer complaint, regardless of the nature, very seriously and will always investigate if it is brought to our attention.

Vice President (Activities) Beth Baxtrem adds,

We are proud of the partnership that we have with the Stonegate venues in town, as we know that they have student's best interests in mind - all the time. Whether you're new to going out, or are first (and last) on the dancefloor at Mukky Duck every Wednesday, we are confident that the processes and procedures we have in place are preventative and proactive; there to ensure you have the best time throughout your student experience.

Your Union is hosting a Student Safety event at One Friar Gate Square on Thursday 28th October from 10.00am - 2.00pm as part of Student Support Week.