Be A Safe and Tidy Student!

With a new term just around the corner, Blackpool Council and local Police are joining forces to teach students of Blackpool and Fylde College a couple of important lessons.

Representatives from the Council’s Waste Services as well as the Police are taking part in a Freshers’ Fair on Wednesday September 20, at the Bispham campus, before the semester gets into full swing. They are taking the opportunity to promote some key messages about respecting property, the environment, each other and personal safety.

First and foremost, crime prevention and personal safety is on the agenda as Sergeant Steve Hodgkins, from Blackpool Central Police Station points out: “New students often arrive at college with a number of portable high-value items such as laptop computers, I-pods, MP3’s and so on, which can make them targets for opportunist criminals.”

He continues: “Given the number of students at the college, the theft of personal belongings actually makes up a very small percentage of reported crimes. However, one theft, in our view, is one too many so our intention is to give students as much information as possible about how to keep their lodgings/accommodation, belongings and themselves safe so that they don’t become victims of crime.”

In addition to this, litter prevention is also a key message for the day with officers from Waste Services raising awareness about anti-social behaviour of this sort.

Councils across the country are getting tough on littering following reports it now costs taxpayers more than half a billion pounds a year to pay for street sweeping and clearing up unsightly mess.  Places around schools and colleges can potentially be a magnet for food wrappers and cigarette ends, and students are being reminded to avoid littering the area.

Cllr Fred Jackson, Cabinet Member for Urban Environment, says: “The majority of students are responsible and place their rubbish in a nearby bin or take it home. Unfortunately, the minority spoil it for everyone else and can make the area look unsightly.  We will be on hand at the Freshers’ Fair to provide an information campaign encouraging students not to litter and respect their surroundings.”

He adds: “Unfortunately, if students ignore our warnings we are left with no choice but to target them where they feel it most – in their pockets – and impose a fine.  The Council now has a range of enhanced enforcement measures and financial penalties will be used as a last resort.”