A Freedom of Information request submitted by York Vision has revealed a number of holes in security on campus.
The results of the inquiry have revealed, in particular, a lack of CCTV cameras at key University locations.
These include only two CCTV cameras at Heslington Hall, and one at the University Security Centre. In comparison, the Heslington East campus is home to 174 cameras, nearly half the total number of Uni-owned cameras.
Other areas that have surprisingly low levels of security are Fairfax House and the Health Centre, which have no CCTV.
A resident of Fairfax House, who did not want to be named, expressed their fears in light of the information, saying: “I cannot believe that the University isn’t concerned about the security of those at Fairfax like they are those at, say, Goodricke College on Hes East.”
The request also revealed that the University does not keep any log of 999 calls, or calls made to their emergency 43-3333 number. The FOI response noted that: “Whilst individual incident reports might be created as a result of such a call, they won’t necessarily have been generated from the security numbers or record this information.”
Crime on campus has largely fallen since the academic year 2005/6, though it rose slightly last year. There were 118 bicycle thefts in 2009/10, an increase of 48 from the previous year.
The University does not hold information as to who committed crimes on campus, so could not provide a breakdown of these.
A University spokesperson said that CCTV camera locations are regularly reviewed. She highlighted the ‘security by design’ features of Heslington East and noted that “we are currently looking into the feasibility of installing cameras at Fairfax House.”
She stated that there was good coverage near, if not at, the Health Centre. “We all share a desire for a safe and secure campus,” she noted.