Calls double at CCTV centre during freshers' week
BBCThe number of calls for help at a CCTV centre doubles at the start of the new university academic year, bosses have said.
The team in the Exeter CCTV control room monitor more than 300 cameras and dozens of "safe signs" that feature a phone and location number across the city centre.
Dennis Cavanagh, city centre and control operations manager at Exeter City Council, said the majority of incidents involved anti-social behaviour due to excess drinking.
"We are there to reassure people that they are being monitored by CCTV, they are able to speak to a friendly voice who knows where they are and that help is on the way," he said.
Cavanagh said the system was a "deterrent for offenders" as victims were "one phone call away from immediate assistance".
He said one of the proudest moments of his career was when a member of his staff helped identify a man who was wanted for sexually assaulting a student in the city centre.
The staff member identified him from the way he walked and his trainers, leading to an immediate arrest, said Cavanagh.
"During the six-week period that he wasn't in Exeter, he could have been offending against other females," he said.
"Not only has she managed to get justice for victim, she's also managed to stop him offending on other females countless times across other parts of the country."
Cavanagh said the team dealt with more than 100 incidents per day but this more than doubled at the start of the academic year.
Every new starter at the University of Exeter has to complete a consent training module when joining.
About 40,000 students and staff were registered users of the safe zone app which allows them to raise an emergency alert and then security will be able to locate them, said bosses.
Insp Nathan Johnson from Devon and Cornwall Police said student safety was also priority for the force during the first few weeks of term.
He said additional patrols and events raising awareness of issues such as spiking had taken place.
"Spiking probably happens less than the fear of it, but the fear is still very real," he said.
"It's really important to me that young people feel safe, not only from violence against women and girls, but also from spiking."
In Plymouth, a safe bus which operates on a Saturday night to provide support has a medical team on board.
Paramedic Will Price said the majority of cases they dealt with involved young people who were intoxicated, vulnerable and lost but some incidents could be far more serious.
"In recent weeks we have had a stabbing and unconscious patients. They are rarities," said Price.
The team also have anti-spiking test kits on board and can help get someone who is intoxicated get home safely.
