Bicycle racks behind Bredon House

Safety & Security

We want every member of College to feel safe and secure on site and we take issues of personal safety very seriously.

Bicycle racks behind Bredon House

Your Safety & Security

Wolfson College is a multi-cultural community that is tolerant of others’ opinions, provided that they do not promote discrimination or intolerance towards a group of staff or students, especially on the grounds of belief, race, gender or disability. We want every member of College to feel safe and secure on site.

Wolfson is an open community. It is therefore extremely important that residents take responsibility for the safety of their own and other people's belongings.

When you arrive you will be provided with one room key. In an emergency a spare key can be signed out at the Porters' Lodge, but keys must not be copied or given to other people. Rooms must be locked when occupants are out, even for a short time. There are locked rooms for members to store non-food and non-electrical items at their own risk.

Always make sure your bike is securely locked, ideally with a D-lock securing the frame to a cycle rack. There is plenty of advice on how to reduce the risk of getting your cycle stolen on the Cambridge University Environment & Energy website.

Unfortunately there have been occasional thefts from rooms in College. If you do see individuals around the residential blocks that you do not recognise, or you see people in the College grounds who appear to be acting in a suspicious manner, please inform the duty Porter immediately.

Personal security notices are regularly displayed on noticeboards and security alerts are also posted via the wolfson-events email list.

The College has CCTV on site.

Fire

Residents must guard against fire. Fire alarms and extinguishers are provided in every block, and fire drills are held from time to time. For your own safety you should familiarise yourself with fire exits and exit routes.

In the unlikely event of a fire it is important that the College knows who is in residence at any particular time. You should therefore inform the Porters' Lodge if you have a guest, or if you are going to be away overnight, or for longer periods.

Raising Security Concerns

If you have concerns about the way in which a College member is behaving, then you should inform the Senior Tutor. These concerns might be prompted by, for example:

  • sudden changes in peer group or religious practices;
  • accessing, holding or distributing extremist propaganda material;
  • an undertone of grievance or “them and us” rhetoric in language or behaviour;
  • evidence of sudden or increased isolation from their family and/or their usual social group;
  • increased emotional instability, or cultural or social anxiety.

If you believe there is an immediate threat to the person’s own safety or to the safety of the College community or wider public, you should contact the Porters' Lodge immediately.

Emergency Taxi Scheme

If any student feels they have a need for the emergency use of a taxi, they should contact the Porters’ Lodge and ask the on-duty Porter to order a taxi. The Porter will then request a means of identification from the student (see below). Once identification is confirmed, the taxi will be ordered. We will keep a record of such authorisations so that these may be checked against the taxi company’s invoices, which are submitted on a monthly basis. Once invoices are confirmed, monies owed will be charged to the respective student’s College account.

Means of identification will be as follows:

  • If requesting a taxi from another College Porters’ Lodge, the student must ask the Porter to telephone Wolfson College and then provide the Porter with a means of identification, such as a University ID card, in order for their identification to be verified.
  • If the student is neither carrying identification nor telephoning from another College/University, then the Wolfson Porter will seek identification over the phone by asking the student to give their CRSID and accommodation address so it can be cross-referenced with Porters’ Lodge documentation. Once confirmed, the taxi will be ordered.