Police Attending Halls of Residence
Police Attending Halls of Residence
Police officers may need to attend University Accommodation for a number of reasons. Property marking and other safety awareness sessions run within the residences throughout the year. In addition, routine Police business may require them to attend and enter a residence. The following guidelines outline best practice in these circumstances.
Police interviews with Students in Halls of Residence
- The University will assist Police Officers wherever possible with their enquiries. Where a Police Officer has cause to enter a University Residence, the nature of the enquiry will determine the level of access available in order to prevent potential concern and alarm for residents. Police Officers attending residences must if practical make themselves known to staff within the residence on entry.
- Where there is a sense of urgency by way of police enquiries/missing persons, staff within the residence will allow unrestricted access to the residence.
- Where officers are investigating a crime and whether they know or don’t know the location and identity of the student they wish to speak to, the officers should first contact the Advice and Support Centre, or Out of Hours Security Officer. These staff will then contact the relevant Warden/Residence Manager, who will facilitate any interaction between student and police (asking the student to come down to a suitable space in hall, or organising another suitable time/location).
- Where a student has requested an appointment with a Police Officer, it is preferable to arrange such appointments at the Police station due to the communal nature of residences. However if the student arranges an appointment within the halls then they should make contact with the Warden/Residential Services Manager in advance, so as to arrange a suitable space in hall for this appointment.