Is Bournemouth safe for uni students?

In Bournemouth, incidents of violent or sexual crimes occur to every 49.7 people, per 1000, according to Times Higher Education. 

Students at Bournemouth university gave their opinion on how the local authorities could help them feel safer. 

All the students, that where interviewed, live in the Lansdowne area and use Bournemouth town centre for shopping, eating out, clubbing etc. 

University students across the country deserve to feel safe, especially since most will be moving away from home into an unfamiliar area. However, this is not always the case.  

In an interview with Oli Polomka, a student at Bournemouth University studying 3D Animation and art, he said: “I do not feel safe sometimes because the streets are dark and there is a lot of homeless people visibly using drugs.”  

Emma Delaroue, another student studying Fine art at the Arts university, said: “The only way that I can feel safe is when I am in a large group of friends.” 

Both students moved to Bournemouth for studies, and both students say that they feel safer back at home.  

This lack of safety for the students could have negative effects on the university: potential future students may hear through word of mouth that Bournemouth is unsafe, and this could cause them to choose somewhere else to study.  

In a 2018 student experience survey by the Times Higher Education, ranking the safest universities in the UK, Bournemouth university ranks 78th out of 116 universities. 

When asked what can be done to help him feel safe, Oli said: “I would feel safer if police patrolled more often, or if the council gave homeless people more shelters, so they are not on the streets.”