Police Scotland is delivering vital safety advice to students this week by getting them to take a selfie.
To mark the 2015 Police Scotland student safety campaign, students at Edinburgh Napier University are being encouraged to take a picture of their idea of student safety in a giant picture frame.
Similar activities are taking place at Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen universities as Police Scotland officers prepare to attend a number of events across the country in order to help Scotland’s 465,000 students keep safe.
The photographs can be uploaded to the new Police Scotland Instagram site, which along with a new safety advice video, complement the established downloadable student safety guide which is a cornerstone of the student safety campaign.
Chief Inspector Scott Tees of Police Scotland’s Safer Communities team explained how the aim of the campaign is to raise awareness amongst students about the importance of keeping safe throughout student life.
“Police Scotland would like to welcome all students to the new term and hope you have an enjoyable and safe time during your studies.
“For many people becoming a student is a life changing and life enhancing experience – that’s why Police Scotland wants to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable time during your studies.
“We would like all students to take a few minutes to download our Police Scotland student safety guide.  This is full of useful tips on how to stay safe and covers how to do this when on campus, when at home and when socialising both online and in person.
“In conjunction with our partners including the further education establishments and the National Union of Students we have also made a video which shows what can happen to students who don’t look after themselves or their possessions. It highlights how simple mistakes can be easily made but have long term consequences for a student and their possessions.”
For Edinburgh Napier University, Sophie Goddard Student President said: “We are pleased to support the Police Scotland student safety initiative.  We ask all students to take their personal safety and the safety of others on campus very seriously.
“Statistically, students are more likely to become victims of crime – both of personal assault and of theft of all the precious state of the art electronics and bikes that thieves can easily re-sell. Take some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of crime with the Student Safety Campaign run by Police Scotland.“
For the Scottish Government, Justice Secretary, Michael Matheson, said: “Starting college or university is an extremely exciting time but for many of the students joining our campuses across Scotland, this is their first time living away from home.
“This Police Scotland campaign is about ensuring you start student life the right way. By providing advice on how to stay safe, not just on campus but at home and online too.
“And it’s never too late to put some of their advice in to practice. I would encourage all students, new or returning, to download the Police Scotland student safety guide to make themselves aware of all the simple steps they can take to ensure a safe and enjoyable student career.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
