Street safety 'horror stories' for Falmouth university students

Falmouth and Exeter University students have been talking about their safety in response to a recent grant to help prevent violence against women.

"The stories are not necessarily unique and that's the terrifying thing really," said university student Lois Smith.

She said she heard "horror stories" before starting at Falmouth University.

The grant will be used for CCTV, a student-led group and for training by Safer Falmouth for night-time staff.

Ms Smith recalled one incident: "I was running through a little alleyway on the phone to my mum thinking this shouldn't be the case.

"It does scare me and it has always done - and it's about time that changes should be put in place."

The journalism student who described the installation of six new CCTV cameras in Falmouth town centre as "a great place to start" said she and her friends had been followed by cars in the past.

It is safer on the main streets, but "a lot of Falmouth isn't well lit" and people feel "nervous" walking down smaller streets and alleyways, she added.

In these situations she tries to cross the road, move to a busier better lit area and pick up the phone.

However, she feels more needs to be done in terms of education, making sure women know what to do and trying to stop it happening in the first place through, for example, better lighting and signage.

Cornwall Council has been given a grant of more than £33,000 by the government's Safer Streets fund to help prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Falmouth and Penryn have campuses for two universities - Falmouth and Exeter - which support about 11,000 students. This means the area has a larger number of young women, aged 16-24, compared to other areas in Cornwall.

The two towns have the highest rates of non-domestic VAWG crimes in Cornwall, which is about a third higher than the county's average.

Going out in groups, looking out for each other and taking all your belongings with you are a few ways one second year student says she tries to stay safe.

Charlotte Buttriss said night time was "especially scary" if you're on your own.

But she said the well lit areas were "not so much" of a problem.

In response to the CCTV cameras being installed she said: "I think that's a good idea because you don't want anything to get out of hand or constantly worry when you're going out especially at a young age."

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