University Staff Complete Training to Help Keep Community Safe

Two more members of the University of Worcester’s Security staff have gained special accreditation from West Mercia Police.

The staff completed a rigorous assessment by the police to pass its Community Safety Accreditation Scheme. The University now has 20 accredited staff. The accreditation allows the University's security staff to work more closely with the community and the police on and off campus. It gives those staff that complete the relevant training the ability to hand out Fixed Penalty Notices for such things as noise nuisance, graffiti and disorder.

The University’s Assistant Director of Security and Operations, Tom Taylor, said: “It is important to us to work closely with the community and policing team for the benefit of both our students and the Worcester community. Since we first started to implement the accreditation back in 2011, it has proved very successful, and we have expanded the scheme to include more staff over the years. This training enables our staff, particularly the 24/7 Security Team, to intervene where needed on issues encountered in their day-to-day work and know how to respond to those incidents appropriately. Through this we can make a further positive contribution to the City.”

The University of Worcester is one of a limited number of universities in the Country to be accredited under the Police Reform Act 2002. Staff work alongside the two University-funded Police Community Support Officers, who work on campus and within the local community.

The University also runs a Community Forum, bringing together key figures in the University and Students’ Union and representatives from the community, including local councillors, which has been meeting since 2003. It is also one of a handful of universities in the country whose CCTV has met the stringent requirements of the Home Office and achieved British Standard 7958, the highest possible standard for CCTV management and operation, in May 2021.

West Mercia Police’s Temporary Chief Inspector for Safer Neighbourhoods in South Worcestershire, Fergus Green, presented the Accreditation to staff. He said: “The aim is to nurture a sense of community within the University because it empowers the University to take a grip of some lower level anti-social behaviour issues.

“It promotes strong partnership work. The University of Worcester represents a huge community within Worcester and the strong partnership working and links we have got through the University help us keep people safe.”