Personal Safety
Cambridge is a relatively safe city to live in, but it's still very important for you to take care, especially at night. Never assume 'it won't happen to me'.
When travelling home:
- Use your brain and avoid uneccesary risks.
- Avoid walking home alone.
- Walk towards oncoming traffic to avoid curb crawlers.
- Be alert to those around you and don't draw attention to iPods or mobile phones that may be worth stealing.
- Try to stick to well-lit, busy roads (for example using Trumpington Street rather than Tennis Court Road).
- If you think you're being followed, cross the road. If you still think you're being followed go to a well lit house and ask for help.
- And if you are threatened, or told to hand over your property, the police advice is to hand it over rather than risk a violent encounter. You can always replace property.
Taxis
- Ranks are opposite Christ's and by the bus station on Drummer's Street
- When booking a taxi get the name of the driver and the car they'll be driving
- Have your money ready before you stop and give it after you've got out of the car
- When you get home have your keys ready so you can enter your house quickly
Taxi Firms:
- A1 taxis 01223 525555
- Panther taxis 01223 715715
- Regency taxis 01223 311311
- Camtax taxis 01223 313131
Pembroke Taxi Scheme
Any undergraduate or graduate student who is concerned about walking home alone in the late evening to hostels in Grange Road, Selwyn Gardens, Barton Road, or Newnham, and who hasn't been able to make arrangements to walk home with a fellow student, should turn up at the Porter's Lodge at 10.30, 11.30 or 12.30, to see whether anyone else is in the same situation. If no one else turns up with the same destination by five minutes after the agreed times, then the Porter will call a cab and the bill will be paid by the College.
It may be that the cab takes more than one student to more than one destination, and students should expect to have to wait some time for a cab to arrive after it has been ordered.
If the Porter is called away from the Lodge at any one of these prearranged times to discover a student or students waiting, he will exercise his discretion to provide a taxi for anyone who has been waiting for a while; however, anyone turning up then should expect to have to wait until the next agreed time before a cab is ordered. The Porter will also exercise his discretion in cases occurring later at night.
College have provided this service for students so do make use of it should you need to.
Personal Alarms
Attack alarms are just as useful for boys as for girls. You can borrow new-style electronic alarms (key-ring or watch styles) from the Porter's Lodge (they will happily demonstrate how to use them also). Please return ones you borrow so others can use them. The Welfare Officer can sell you a personal alarm for £3. Personal alarms only work if they are in your hand/very very easily accessible. This does not mean at the bottom of your bag.
Keeping your stuff safe
It's a good idea to keep your room locked whilst you're away from it, as even Pembroke's safe college environment is still open to the public during much of the day. Ground floor residents should close windows, especially those in road-side hostels (eg Fitz St).
Get your stuff insured when you arrive at Pembroke. It's worth checking whether college is covered by your parent's home insurance policy, otherwise Endsleigh Insurance insure lots of us with their student policy (and have a branch conveniently situated in Market Square).
If your possessions have been lost or stolen you can contact Cambridgeshire Constabulary by visiting their website and clicking on 'News and Appeals' or by phone on 0845 456 456 4. It's very important to report lost or stolen property to the police and is available 24 hours a day.
There is a free service run by the police where you can register your belongings (phones, bikes, laptops, jewellery) online so that if they are stolen they can be traced easier. See immobilise.com for more details.