A Night In Durham - Are Students Safe?
We spent the night in Durham speaking to students and police about what's being done to keep people safe after three deaths in the River Wear in the last 15 months.
After three students have died in the River Wear in Durham over the past 15 months there have been increasing calls for improved safety by the river in the city.
We spent the night in Durham speaking to students and police about what's being done to keep people safe after three deaths in the River Wear in the last 15 months.
Police say the issue they most want to tackle is excessive drinking, which they say is the underlying cause of all of the deaths.
Many of the students agreed that more could be done to cut down on drinking too much, but that wasn't the only answer and barriers, lights and CCTV should be installed to keep people safe near the river.
Euan Coulthard was the third student to die in the river and following his death the agencies involved in supporting personal safety in Durham have met to discuss what to do.
They agreed to undertake an independent review of riverside safety carried out by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Durham University and the Students’ Union will also continue to develop their existing work to inform and educate students about staying safe and their personal wellbeing.
They're also planning to re-establish their night-time bus and work with taxi operators in the city to give at-risk students a safe method of getting home.
Plans also include looking into ways to tackle the availability of cheap alcohol, alcohol offers and consider the value of steps to monitor alcohol in instances where personal safety may be an issue.