Zoning in on safety at the University of Bradford
The University of Bradford has launched a free app to help to give round-the-clock safety reassurance to students and staff.
The simple-to-use, free application is designed to help students and staff on campus to summon security or safety assistance via their mobile phones or tablets.
Joanne Marshall, the University’s Director of Human Resources, Organisational Development and Campus Services, said: “Keeping students and staff safe at the University of Bradford is always our top priority and the launch of this app will help us to ensure we continue to do that.
“SafeZone will enable us to locate and direct security and first aid personnel to where urgent help is needed, and it will also provide our students and staff with a way of summoning general assistance swiftly through a simple tap of an on-screen button.”
Over 13,000 students and staff will be able to access three main features using SafeZone – emergency, first aid and general help. Emergency and first aid options will bring security or first aid officers to the location of the call, while the general help button connects directly to Security Services.
“SafeZone extends the reach of campus safety and security, to cater for the real time needs of the people who use our campuses every day,” said Steve Wiggins, Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing.
“The app will cover both the City Campus and the Emm Lane Campus, and it will also enable us to send out targeted notification messages to students and staff in the event of an incident in particular areas or buildings on campus.
“We have put the system through exhaustive trials over the last few months and this week will be staging a series of roadshows on campus to explain how students and staff can sign up and how it works.”
In addition to the introduction of SafeZone, with effect from February 2019 the University will have its own dedicated police officer on campus. PC James Preston will work closely with the University’s Security team to keep students and staff safe while they are on campus, and to foster a security conscious community that supports and looks after each other.