SU Security Review

Date published: 09/06/2023

This Student Insight Report involved conducting a complete review of SU Security, addressing concerns around student safety in our venues. This report highlights the mixed experiences with the security team as well as identifying several areas for improvement.

Download the Report

SU Security Review Infographics

Report Recommendations

Below is the summary of the recommendations from the report and the progress made so far.

Students' Union and University Security Processes

Recommendation	Progress
1.1 The Students’ Union should, for a designated period, search 100 per cent of customers attending an event at the Union Venue Nightclub and Medicine with a set review date to see whether this should become standard procedure	Complete
1.2 The Students’ Union should work more regularly with Surrey Police where there is a police presence with sniffer dogs at certain Students’ Union events at the Union Venue Nightclub and Medicine throughout the year. We recognise that Black and Global Majority Students may be adversely and disproportionately negatively affected by police presence on campus. Further consultation with students from these groups will be undertaken if deemed necessary while exploring this recommendation in further detail.	In Progress
The University should consider increasing campus security numbers to improve visibility at night which will help students feel safer when returning home following an event. Increased campus security would also act as a deterrent to non-Royal Holloway students from collecting outside our venues during events. This recommendation is in line with some of the suggestions noted around increasing the number of security bases on campus in the RH100 report in December.	In Progress
1.4 The Students’ Union should consider increasing roster numbers so there is a permanent member placed outside Medicine and the Union Venue Nightclub during events to help disperse non-attendees collecting outside those spaces.	Complete
1.5 The Students’ Union should work closely with the University’s campus security team to help disperse non-attendees collecting outside Medicine and the Union Venue Nightclub when events are taking place.	In Progress
1.6 Students’ Union should review its current policy around dealing with incidents of sexual harassment and assault. Following this review, the Students’ Union should publish the findings to the website and signpost any changes to the existing policy.	In Progress
1.7 The Students’ Union should implement annual refresher training on spiking for all Venue Managers and, if possible, Duty Managers.	Complete
1.8 Students’ Union should explore giving the current security teams further Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training. There are multiple companies offering this service like the egalitarian which offers training at Reading Students’ Union on anti-spiking, anti-sexual violence, safeguarding and vulnerability and ways the Students’ Union can be a more effective ally.	Complete

Students' Union Complaints Process

Recommendation	Progress
2.1 The Students’ Union should lobby the University to resume work that has already begun on creating a customisable Students’ Union complaints form by the University’s IT Services in a similar vein to RH BeHeard.	Complete
2.2 The Students’ Union should review the complaint form which has already been created on the Students’ Union Google Workplace and see whether it is up to date and best practice to run as a temporary form until the customisable Microsoft Teams Form has been created by the University’s IT team.	Complete
2.3 The Students’ Union should build a complaints page and add it to the Students’ Union website under the ‘Complaints tab’ currently on the website with a visible link to the temporary complaints form. Both the temporary complaints form and Byelaw K should be included in this section on the website. Once this form has been uploaded, there should be clear instructions for students about filing a complaint.	Complete
2.4 The Students’ Union should replace the temporary complaints form with the permanent Microsoft Teams Form once it has been completed by the University’s IT Services.	Complete

Marketing and Communications

Recommendation	Progress
3.1 The Students’ Union should communicate to students on the website and through our social media channels that the temporary 100 per cent search policy has been implemented because of student feedback, and it will have an impact on queue times.	Complete
3.2 The Students’ Union should publish a blog post or report to the website which details any changes to our bag and person checks following review of our temporary 100 per cent search process.	Complete
3.3 The Students’ Union should publish a blog post or report to the website which details any changes to our policy around dealing with incidents of sexual harassment and assault following our review.	In Progress
3.4 The Students’ Union should create a permanent page on the Students’ Union website which lists all our current processes around security and safety at our venues.	Complete
3.5 The Students’ Union should investigate and obtain better signage options to help streamline queue management at all our venues, especially the Union Venue Nightclub where there are multiple queue streams. This signage should be clearly visible and placed in locations around the venue to help prompt attendees into the correct queue and have their IDs and bags ready for searches.	Complete
3.6 The Students’ Union should implement regular comms at the start of each term on our social media accounts and within our all-student email about ways they can be safe in our venues when attending an event. These comms should highlight anti-spiking measures currently in place at our venues and for purchase in the Students’ Union shop, the Good Night Out Crew’s purpose and location and, finally, it should link to our security processes page mentioned in recommendation 3.4 which would inform students about measures currently in place to keep them safe.	Complete
3.7 The Students’ Union should consider updating the physical posters and graphics on digital screens around our venues so that they include updated and more visually engaging material on our security and safety measures like the Spiked? campaign.	In Progress
3.8 The Students' Union should consider increasing awareness on sexual harassment in late-night venues and the impacts it has on students, especially women. Information on this issue could be shared with students through our website and social media accounts, an SU on tour activity or by running a campaign during the next academic year.	In Progress

Software

Recommendation	Progress
3.1 The Students’ Union should consider investing in additional technology like the Where You At (WAY) app to aid the security team and the Good Night Out Crew.	In Progress

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