A new initiative has been launched that sees closer co-operation between police and University of Leeds security staff in and around the campus and student accommodation.
Officers from the Inner North West Neighbourhood Policing Team and the University’s security team are helping to keep students, staff and members of the public safe by sharing information real time and working in partnership to respond to incidents and deal jointly with ongoing issues.
Under the new ‘Uni Watch’ scheme the University team now has a direct radio link to officers.
The team is a professional and accredited unit that has a number of valuable resources that can assist police officers responding to incidents in and around the campus.
It features a dog section, which is trained by West Yorkshire Police to the same standards as its own, and operates a system of 180 external CCTV cameras from a 24-hour control centre.
The security officers already work closely with PC Matt Guy, the University’s police liaison officer, and assist with patrols as part of Operation Optimal that targets burglary hotspots.
Inspector Howie Milner, who heads the Inner North West NPT, said: “We have an excellent existing relationship with the University and already work closely together to prevent crime and keep people safe.
“The University of Leeds security team takes a very proactive approach and is a really valuable resource. This new initiative give us a real time link via the radio that means we will be able to work even more closely together to tackle crime in and around the campus.”
Alan Cain, Head of Security at the University of Leeds, said: “Student safety in residences and on campus has improved dramatically in recent years. The real time radio link with West Yorkshire Police builds still further on this success and the great partnership we already have. It means even faster police response times when dealing with incidents.”
