FR
The South West’s Best Student Publication
E
E
ISSUE 728 1 FEB 2022 exepose.com @Exepose
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987
University faculty overhaul comes under fire Page 4
The pressure to be exceptional Page 11
Interview with Frank Turner Pages 18-19 Images (top to bottom): William Veerbeek, Pixabay, Nicole Kibert
SPIKING: IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE
Image: Canva
Senior Editorial Team
T
HE last few months have represented a sea of change in demands for student safety. For years, Exeter’s Sabbatical Officers and student groups have sought increased safety measures around campus and the city to make life safer for our community. The recent epidemic of spiking has revealed on a national scale how unsafe students feel on a night out. Cases are rising steadily; in 2019, the BBC reported that 2,600 cases of spiking were reported since 2015. Yet, as the Commons Home Affairs Committee recently heard, these incidents are being “underreported quite significantly.” As one YouGov survey reveals, one in nine women believed they have been spiked in the last year. The data in the South West is equally troubling. Information
we have obtained by Freedom of Information request shows Devon and Cornwall Police were called to 246 cases of spiking between 2016 and 2020. Worse still, 36 of these incidents occurred within the city of Exeter in the past six years. Given the sparsity of the data and the wealth of anecdotal evidence, the truth is these cases could be, and are likely to be, far higher. As one student told us “I wasn’t that shocked when some of my mates were spiked last term.” They added that as a result, “people are just numb to it.” But despite these numerous incidents of spiking occurring in Exeter, zero arrests or charges have occurred in the city as a result. The lack of accountability for these crimes is a terrifying prospect, and whilst spiking may no longer be dominating the headlines as it did late last year, the problem simply hasn’t gone away. There have been improvements, in no small part due to the excellent campaigning that took place across the country, with Exeter’s Big Night In ushering in much needed and welcome
action from clubs and venues. Yet many of the measures are arguably more performative than preventative, with the natural consequence being that responsibility is placed on victims rather than venues. We have identified several issues with current nightclub policies. Firstly, metal detectors are largely redundant when dealing with substances or plastic syringes. Secondly, security staff are often overly aggressive rather than supporting those in need, leading to victims of spiking being thrown onto the street rather than getting the support they need. There is also a lack of female security staff in many venues. As such, on 19 January, we launched an open letter directed towards clubs raising a number of practical policy proposals to address these issues. Specifically, our proposals encompass equipment to prevent spiking, safer spaces and compassionate staff. Continued
on
page
4...
SCAN TO SIGN