While you're out

If you are feeling uncomfortable or need help on a night out there are number of different ways to get support. In an emergency you should always call 999.

Drink spiking

A person’s drink can be spiked to make them more vulnerable for a variety of reasons, including theft, sexual assault, or as an attempted joke. Drink ‘spiking’ includes the act of adding alcohol (not just other unwanted chemicals) to a drink.

Drink spiking is taken very seriously and carries a maximum 10 year prison sentence. Adding a few extra shots to a friend’s drink may seem like a harmless bit of fun but not only could it ruin a good night out, it could also result in serious criminal charges.

Don’t leave your drink unattended and never accept a drink if you haven’t seen it being poured/opened, or accept a drink from someone you don’t know or trust.

It can be a scary experience and it’s important to be able to recognise the signs your drink has been spiked or how to help someone you suspect has been a victim. If you start to feel strange or more drunk than you should be, then get help straight away.

Find out more about recognising the signs of drink spiking and getting help.

Ask for Angela (Exeter and Penryn)

At the Exeter Students’ Guild venues (The Lemon Grove and The Ram), at the Penryn campus (The Stannary) and in many Exeter city venues the Ask for Angela initiative can provide a safe way out of a situation. If you're in a vulnerable or just uncomfortable situation and need help, ask for "Angela" at the bar or to a member of staff. They will then take you to a safe place in the venue, where a parent, friend or taxi can be called and if necessary the other person asked to leave the venue. Your safety is paramount and staff will have been trained to deal with such a situation.

Exeter Safe Space (Exeter)

Exeter Safe Space in the city centre provides a safe place for people out and about at night, Friday and Saturday nights from 11pm to 3am.

You’ll find Exeter Safe Space at St Stephen’s Church - High Street, Exeter, EX4 3LW (Opposite Urban Outfitters, and next to Hotel Indigo). What3Words:///serve.crown.edit

The volunteers can provide light medical treatment and welfare support to those who need it, along with water, phone charging, spare clothes, safety alarms and bottle tops and a safe space to wait for transport home.

Street Pastors (Exeter)

Street Pastors help all people, whether or not you have a faith. They offer reassurance, safety and support through listening, caring and helping.

Exeter Street Pastors are out on a Friday and Saturday night in Exeter City Centre

Best Bar None accredited venues (Exeter)

Look out for Best Bar None accredited bars, cafes, clubs and venues both on and off campus. They display maroon BBN plaques which means the staff are trained to look out for your wellbeing. Ask for Angela also operates in BBN venues. 

Night Bus service (Exeter)

We work with Stagecoach to provide a Night Bus service in Exeter. It runs on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from late evening until 4am during term time between the city centre and the Streatham campus. See the latest UNI route and Night Bus timetable.

You can use all Stagecoach network tickets on this service along with the discounted Unirider tickets. The single fare is only £2 as the University has subsidised the service to keep your fares affordable. Download the stagecoach app to track the live location of the bus and buy tickets. 

On campus

Jump to Penryn information

Exeter

Campus Safety Guide

Our Campus Safety Guide includes information on safer walking routes, CCTV, and tips for staying safe on nights out.

Estate Patrol

Estate Patrol is a mobile, response based service covering all aspects of security, safety and welfare for staff and students.  They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Contact Estate Patrol:

• Routine: 01392 723999
• Emergency: 01392 722222

SafeZone

SafeZone is an online app that helps us to help you while on campus, if you request it. It's a quick and easy way to alert Estate Patrol for advice or urgent help when on campus. It alerts the team to your situation and location, so they can support you quickly and effectively. Find out more.

Residence Life Team

Residence Life Teams support students living in University accommodation. They can provide a listening ear, advice on student life and signposting to other support services.

Night patrol

Residence Patrollers work overnight during term time to provide extra security around the accommodation blocks and also to be available for any welfare issues that might occur out of hours.

The Residence Patrollers are available during the night if any student feels that they need to talk with somebody or they have a concern that they would like to discuss but don’t feel comfortable talking to the Estate Patrol Team

Neighbourhood Beat Manager

Our University Beat Manager is PC Richard Jephcott, whose details can be found on the Community pages. 

Penryn

Need help now?

Check out our pages for advice about where to receive it, particularly out of hours.

Campus Safety and Support

Campus Safety and Support team are available for students, staff and visitors 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. They’re available as a point of contact for welfare-related issues outside normal working hours for students.

You can contact them on 01326 255875 or in an emergency (or if you need First Aid) call 01326 254444.

SafeZone

SafeZone is an online app that helps us to help you while on campus, if you request it. It's a quick and easy way to alert Campus Safety and Support for advice or urgent help when on campus. It alerts the team to your situation and location, so they can support you quickly and effectively. Find out more.

Night Services team

If you need help out of hours you can contact the Night Services team based at Glasney Lodge. They also conduct regular out of hours patrols of each of the residences. They can help with concerns about noise, behaviour or welfare – you can call them on 01326 253503.

The Students’ Union

Your Students’ Union has a wellbeing database packed with welfare and safety information to help you find the information and advice you need, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. 

Multifaith Chaplaincy

The Multifaith Chaplaincy is there to offer pastoral and spiritual care to all students – whether or not you are a person of faith. You can get in touch with them at chaplaincy@fxplus.ac.uk or visit them at Cottage 8, Tremough Barton Cottages – Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm.

Sexual consent

Consent means that you have given permission, or that someone has given you permission to engage in any intimate activity for sex. Any sexual contact without consent is illegal.

Consent is an essential part of healthy relationships and it’s really important to know what it is and the many ways to spot it. Both you and the person you’re with always need to consent before sex or any intimate activity.

Take the Respect Matters quiz to understand more about consent or watch this video.

When you or someone says no, then it means no. If someone is not able to give consent, this also means no.

Sexual misconduct can have a devastating impact on those who experience it, and cause significant physical and psychological harm as well as being a violation of human dignity.

We take sexual misconduct extremely seriously and expect that all members of our community will take responsibility for building and maintaining an inclusive, equal, positive and safe cultural environment for all.

We understand that coming forward to report sexual misconduct can be hard. We will take any reports of sexual misconduct seriously and make sure individuals are treated with dignity and respect and receive support.

You can find out more, including how to report, and what to do if someone shares with you that they have experienced sexual misconduct on our dedicated pages.

Report an incident through Exeter Speaks Out

Hate crime

Hate crime is against the law.

A hate crime is any crime perceived to have been motivated by hostility or prejudice. It can be committed against a person or their property based on:

• Disability
• Race or ethnicity
• Religion or belief
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity
• or any part of someone’s personal identity

Hate crimes can include things like:

• Being called names or other forms of verbal abuse
• Being sent offensive letters, emails or text messages
• Being attacked or threatened with violence
• Having your property interfered with or damaged

If any of these things are happening to you, you should report them to the police and also report them to the University.

The University and police take reports of hate crime seriously. We have a zero tolerance approach to hate crime and work together on this.

The police are committed to investigating all forms of hate crime. The University cannot report a hate crime to the police on your behalf but we can support you in making a complaint to the police.

If you are not sure if you have experienced a crime or not, we would still encourage you to report it to the police or talk to someone about this. Sometimes what you have experienced may not be a crime, but if it is motivated by hostility or prejudice these are called hate incidents and these are also monitored by the police.

How do I report?

If it is an emergency where life is threatened, people are injured or offenders are nearby and an urgent response is required, ring 999.

You can report hate crime to the police in a number of different ways:

• Online using the Devon and Cornwall Police non-emergency crime reporting form 
• Call the police on 101, the force's non-emergency number
• Report the problem to your local police station or local policing team

If you do not wish to report to the police direct, you can report through a third party who may also be able to provide help and guidance:

• Report It
• Stop Hate UK 

By reporting through a third party you can remain anonymous if you wish to, but please read the guidance on the provider website about how to do this.

The University cannot report a hate crime to the police on your behalf but we can support you to make a report to the police. You can ask for this support when you report an incident informally or formally or through the Wellbeing Service or the Student Cases team.

You can read more about hate crime, how to report and details of third parties on the Devon and Cornwall Police website.

Fire safety

We’re committed to your safety and do all we can to reduce the chances of a fire occurring. Fortunately, fires and other emergencies are very rare but please read the following advice to help keep you safe:

• If you hear a fire alarm leave the building immediately (don’t stop to collect your belongings) and don’t go back in until authorised to do so
• Make yourself aware of the emergency exits from your building/s and never obstruct these routes or doorways.
• Don't wedge open Fire Doors.
• Don’t cover up, or remove, any fire or smoke detectors
• Be careful when cooking and don’t leave cooking appliances unattended. Don’t use appliances (including toasters) in any room other than the kitchen
• Don’t overload plug sockets
• Switch off electrical equipment like hair straighteners and mobile phone chargers when you're not using them.

Watch our video for important information on fire safety in University accommodation.

And also see the Fire safety advice from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.

Private rented accommodation

If you’re in private accommodation your landlord should have given you fire safety information – if not ask your landlord for it, or seek advice from Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue service

Using decorations

If you want to put up some decorations for Christmas or other occasions think carefully about whether they may be flammable and don’t put them near lights or heat sources. Remember, candles and other open flames aren’t allowed in residential halls and most private rented accommodation. 

**Always know your escape route – the quickest way out – and have an alternative plan**

Where to go for urgent medical help

You don’t have to go to A&E (accident and emergency department) at the hospital for urgent medical help.  

A&E can have a very long wait and might not be may not be the best option for your needs. Attending when it’s not necessary can prevent very poorly people getting the care they need quickly. 

NHS Quicker

NHS Quicker is a free app that provides live waiting and travel times for NHS services providing urgent care across Devon and Cornwall.

The app provides information about healthcare services available to you based on your location, helping you to choose the right service and spend less time waiting.

Use NHS Quicker in your web browser

You can also download the NHS Quicker app to use on your phone:

• Download for iOS
• Download for Android

Walk-in centre, Sidwell Street  (Exeter)

If you need urgent medical attention in Exeter, your first port of call should be the Walk-in Centre in Sidwell Street 

It’s open seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm, and you don’t need an appointment.  

It deals with minor injuries such as falls, minor burns (i.e. those that don’t cover a huge area), sprains, suspected breaks, minor illnesses etc. It can also get access to a fracture clinic faster than you could by going to A&E hospital. 

Waiting times are usually much shorter at the Walk-in Centre and it’s close to the city centre – the contact details are 31 Sidwell St, Exeter EX4 6NN. Tel: 01392276892 

Please note, that if you need a medical certificate for uni purposes, such as to prove ill health for an exam or to obtain a deadline extension for an essay or assignment, the Walk-in Centre can’t do this for you. Medical certificates can only be obtained from your doctor.