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Crime in Galway: A safe city in an inhumane world As good as cities are, there are hidden dangers around darkened corners that keep most people from going out after certain hours. Galway city, in that aspect, is no different to any other city in the world. Whilst it may be a safe city, violence can be just a bad alley away. Young women especially need to have their wits about them when they have a night out on the town; for some students who come from safe, small villages, this can be difficult to get used to. In an age where alcohol consumes the minds of most people under the age of 25, the notion of personal safety tends to go out the window when you’re having a hard time just standing up. This is not to say that when you’re sober, you don’t have to worry about where you go and what you do at any hour of the night. It’s easy to get caught up in the bubble of safety that people feel when they’re in Galway, but when you hear stories, such as the accounts of two separate attacks on young women in the past month, it reminds us that we have to stay vigilant. An unfortunate aspect of life is that our well-being is out of our hands on many occasions throughout the day. When you’re crossing the road, you hope that the cars obey the red lights;
when you get in a taxi, you hope the driver doesn’t crash his car etc. Life can throw anything at you at any moment and really the only thing you can do is to increase the odds of your safety by using commonsense. If you like to take a shortcut home which takes you into a bad area, you have to be the one who evaluates whether this time-saver is worth the risk. If you feel the urge to go out for drinks at 2 in the morning, then go with a group of friends who will look after each other. Only you can know if they are true friends because the statistics are astonishing: it is said that only one in ten acts of sexual violence in Ireland is committed by complete strangers. Be clever. Carry a whistle, avoid suspicious-looking people and do not look for trouble because it doesn’t matter where you live in the world, trouble is hard enough to avoid even when you’re not looking for it. Being proactive, like taking up karate once or twice a week and realising that being out late isn’t worth the trouble, could mean the difference between a night at the hospital and a night at home relaxing. We should be more grateful that Galway is as safe as it is. By Conor Lane
Interview Conor Lane spoke to Gerry Nolan, head of NUI Galway security. How often do you receive phone calls/reports of crime/violence/trouble occuring around the campus of NUI Galway? It is rare to receive any call in relation to crime or violence on campus at any time. We do get calls from time to time about loud or unruly behaviour but instances such as these are usually handled quickly and rarely develop into anything of a serious nature. What would be your best advice to those who have to travel around campus alone at night? The same rules would apply to anyone out in public after dark
whether on or off campus. Common sense should prevail. What is the best way to bring a problem a student is having with bullying/violence etc to the attention of NUI Galway officials? In addition to the Security response to any specific incident, the victims may benefit from support and assistance from the Health Unit, Counselling, the International Affairs Office or the Chaplains. All students are subject to the code of Conduct/Disciplinary Procedure in the University and this may be a means of addressing the behaviour of the perpetrators.