The harsh truth about physical security at universities…

• by Anthony Orjally
• Advent IM Blog

Physical security can often be overlooked in all organisations, in favour of cybersecurity. However, some organisations, in particular universities, should not be brushing it under the carpet. In this blog, we’re going to discuss some personal experiences with different university physical security systems and what we can do to improve current measures.

University Scenario 1

In this scenario, I was a first year student attending my induction day. To get into the university building I needed to get through the electric turnstile, which requires a pass. As it was my first day on campus, I didn’t have a student pass, however simply telling the access staff that I ‘didn’t have my pass’ had allowed me entry through the turnstile. On entry this will give you access to almost every room in the university, without anyone needing to escort you. Fortunately, for the university, I’m not a bad actor! However, if someone with the wrong intentions knew how simple it was to get into the building then it’s clear to see that more measures need to be in place, such as a registration on entry and requiring ID.

At this same university, if you had forgotten your pass then you were to inform the receptionist and they would buzz you in. Again, no ID, no registration check to see if I actually attend the university, just a simple ‘I’ve forgotten my pass’ and you’re in. Universities should expect that students may forget their ID, as some travel from long distances or will have simply forgotten to bring it. It would be unreasonable to deny entry to a legitimate student, therefore additional measures should be in place to solve the problem of a forgotten or lost ID. On entry for students who have forgotten their ID, reception staff should be able to search for the student’s name and confirm they are a student of this university, then the student should be required to sign in and out of the building.

University Scenario 2

Travelling across cities to visit your friends is common amongst university students, therefore the correct measures need to be taken by university owned student accommodations to ensure that their security protocols are to a high standard. When visiting a friend, I had a different experience to my own university accommodation, where a security guard was waiting at the electrical gate, and you were required to fill out an entry form as well as showing some form of ID. At the time, I viewed it as excessive, however having worked in security for a year now I understand why it was necessary. This example prevents potential bad actors from entering the accommodation grounds as they are unlikely to leave their details with security personnel. Not only will this extra layer of security, discourage bad actors to attempt entry, but also those who have no purpose at such locations.

University is a place for learning, fun and exploring. University owned accommodation is home to young adults, most of who are away from home for the first time, from all areas of the country. University life comes with a lot of challenges and those who run accommodations have the responsibility to keep everyone safe. In some cases, accommodation locations may suffer from ‘unfavourable’ activities and even, in extreme cases, crime or disturbances. Security and management of accommodation have the responsibility to know who is onsite, including those who live there, visitors, and those who shouldn’t be there, just in case anything does happen.

University Scenario 3

This final story refers to a university accommodation again, but unlike the previous example, there was a huge flaw that could be exploited.

Any guests visiting the accommodation were required to have ID on them under normal circumstances, however for this specific day no guests were allowed into the accommodation. Having travelled some distance and as visitors to this accommodation, myself and some friends had to find a way to enter, which we did on multiple occasions. All we had to do was have the resident student secretly pass their key fob on to the next person, as the security guard would assume that all people entering with a key fob are currently living at that accommodation. The way to pass the key fob down to the next person would be to throw it outside of their bedroom window onto the grass (to stop it from breaking) and then they can simply walk in, without suspicion. There was no CCTV at the back of this accommodation (where the grass is), therefore the security blind spot was easily exploited. To prove how easy this exploit was, we sneaked in 6 different people into the accommodation using the exact same key fob every time.

As previously mentioned, student accommodation management have a duty of care to its residents and visitors. University owned, and of course privately-owned accommodation needs to consider the potential threats or situations that could occur on site. In this example, the accommodation was unaware of a blind spot relating to entry…. Again, the university was fortunate that we had no malicious intent, but next time someone finds a similar flaw, they might not be so lucky.

With so many people visiting one place, security incidents are likely to occur, which is why it’s important for universities to stay on top of their security practices. In a recent City Research survey 2023, it was found that from the 263 respondents who were open about their identity-based violence stories, there were a total of 404 incidents. 57 of the 195 incident’s that had a location logged, took place in a university social setting or teaching environment. That means 30% of the identity-based assaults occurred on a university owned premises. This was 15% more than the next location (digital).

To conclude, student experiences of assaults and sexual crimes are disturbingly high, and even worse, that the number one place for them to occur is in a University owned building. This could indicate a lack of training for staff on how to appropriately deal with these incidents. Suitable and easily accessible pastoral care needs to be in place by all universities to actually tackle this problem. From the findings in the City Research Survey 2023, we can see that University owned buildings are a location that needs to consider improvement on or additional security measures to tackle some issues. For instance, it was evident that students are not always made aware of how they can report an assault or seek help when needed. This gap in communication reflects a deeper pastoral issue – one where students’ well-being may not be receiving the attention it deserves.

By prioritising pastoral care alongside security practices, universities can create a more supportive environment that addresses the needs of their students. This means offering clear guidance on reporting processes and ensuring that all staff are trained to respond appropriately to any incidents.

Therefore, to truly address these issues, universities must strengthen their pastoral care systems by providing accessible support, improving communication channels and fostering a culture where students feel safe to report incidents.

Additionally, universities must develop their physical security measures, including increasing surveillance, improving building access controls, and ensuring that all facilities are appropriately staffed and monitored. By addressing both aspects, universities can create a safer environment for their students.

References;

City, University of London, Violence at University Pilot Project 2023

College of Policing, Crime Reduction Toolkit, CCTV