Women ‘still followed and being spied upon’
IT WAS once named one of the hippest places in the country – and it isn’t difficult to see why. It has a choice of fashionable bars, a monthly market, an intangible vibe.
Not surprising then that over recent years Swansea’s Uplands, and adjoining Brynmill, has witnessed an exponential rise in its student population, being situated close to Swansea University’s Singleton Campus. But for some, there is a darker side.
Instances of women being followed home, propositioned, threatened, witnessing indecent exposure, and even sexual assault were all reported to police.
A year ago it was reported how many students and young adults would no longer walk home alone, but in pairs or with male friends, despite the fact they really should not have to do such things.
The increase in incidents also led to Swansea University offering safety alarms to students, while self-defence classes were also available to undergraduates.
Tensions were further heightened when 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard was kidnapped, raped and strangled while walking home in south London.
South Wales Police told residents at the time that it took all such incidents seriously, pointing out arrests, charges and convictions had all resulted from their investigations. They also promised regular patrols and urged people to follow basic crime prevention advice such as keeping to well-lit areas at night.
Yet, one year on, reports of disconcerting incidents persist. In September a man was caught on camera peering through windows of student houses – just days after students reported similar instances in the same trouble-plagued area. The following month, a student home was broken into, and a laptop stolen.
In December, one woman posted on social media about being followed by a man near Constitution Hill, who got closer and closer, asking her intrusive questions.
Then, in January, another wrote about a group of men gathering outside a Brynmill home shared by female students late at night – and not for the first time. Weeks later another spoke of being followed back from Swansea railway station by a man who began tugging her hair and touching her breasts.
Former student Sophie Morgan is behind a private Facebook page where women in Swansea can share their experiences – and also get advice on self-defence. She said: “You would think we would have had some change by now, but there doesn’t seem to have been. I haven’t noticed any change.
“There was an incident in February where a girl was followed home from town after a night out. She was asking him to leave her alone but he continued to follow her. She ended up running away, and fell over and lost her key.
“A group of girls living in Trafalgar Place in Brynmill noticed a group of people hanging around outside their house late at night, trying to look into their window. There was someone else in January with a guy looking over the fence of another student house.
“The reason I set up the Facebook page was because I wanted to make women feel they have somewhere to go and feel safe and able to talk to, because sometimes they feel they can’t talk to the police, and at least there is somewhere they can share what has happened to them.”
In addition to women feeling unsafe on the streets, there have been growing concerns over an increase in reports of drinks being spiked. One teenager ended up in hospital after a drink was thought to be spiked. Police had already acknowledged they were investigating a number of reports of women allegedly having their drinks spiked in Wind Street.
Swansea University, and its students’ union, say the concerns have seen them work ever closer with South Wales Police.
Liza Leibowitz, Swansea University Students’ Union welfare officer, said: “The wellbeing and safety of our students is our number one concern – we want every student who joins our community to feel safe and welcome. Since the reports of students feeling unsafe and the concerns raised over drink spiking, we have developed a closer relationship with South Wales Police and Swansea Council, in partnership with the university.
“We’ve since worked with our venues and partner bars and clubs to make anti-drugging covers and tests available, and we are working with South Wales Police on a £270,000 grant for safety provisions in the night-time economy.
“This closer relationship has already shown positive outcomes and we will continue to do everything to make Swansea a safe place to study, live, and work.”
Despite the online claims, Swansea University and an Uplands councillor both said they hadn’t received recent reports over student safety.
Uplands councillor Peter May said: “Thankfully, I have received no reports about safety incidents a year on from where this was a concerning issue for our community. I hope that this continues, as the Uplands area is a great and safe place to live.”
And Kevin Child, director of student services at Swansea University, said: “There have been no concerns about student safety reported to us recently.
“However, we are continuing with our efforts to keep our community safe. Our community liaison team have been working closely with the Students’ Union and the South Wales Police university team to support all their hard work to safeguard all our students”.
Following concerns last year, South Wales Police urged anyone who felt in danger to contact them immediately, and the advice remains.
Local police Inspector Matt Otteson said: “Many young women don’t realise that some of the behaviours they are experiencing which makes them feel vulnerable and unsafe are often crimes and can be reported to police.
“I encourage all women to report incidents directly to us. All incidents reported to us will be looked into and investigated, and anyone coming forward will be treated in a fair, sensitive, respectful and professional manner. With more reports we can build a truer and more accurate picture of what’s happening in the area and deal with those who are behaving unacceptably.
“As part of the UK Government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, we are promoting a new online tool called StreetSafe. StreetSafe is a service for anyone to anonymously tell us about public places where they have felt or feel unsafe, including being followed or verbally abused.
“I would encourage people to report such incidents via www.southwales.police.uk/notices/street-safe/ street-safe/”