The importance of Eton Mess Scientist use an all you can eat buffet to understand mutations
→ Research Roundup, p.9
Solange Knowles
Interview: Liz Frazer
An unapolagetically black album
On her hopes to demystify mental health
→ The p.Th2ursday Magazine,
→Interviews, p.14
The
Cambridge Student
20 October 2016 Vol. 18 Michaelmas Issue 2 www.tcs.cam.ac.uk
Bodycams for Cambridge City workers following public abuse Khushali Dodhia Edi Cambridge City’s frontline council workers will wear body cameras, after it was revealed that 75% of their interactions with the public resulted in them being subject to verbal abuse. The Labour-controlled Council unanimously approved a proposal to introduce body worn cameras for Cambridge’s Environmental Enforcement Officers, who deal with dog fouling, littering, and punt touting. Cllr Lewis Herbert, leader of the Council, said: “Our enforcement officers play a vital role in keeping Cambridge cleaner, greener and safer for both residents and visitors but they are also often at the sharp end in dealing with difficult and sometimes confrontational situations. “The use of body worn cameras has been shown to help de-escalate many potentially volatile situations as well as providing clear evidence where complaints or challenges are made, in the interests of all involved.” Liberal Democrat councillors successfully pushed for members of the public to be able to ask that interactions between them and Environmental Enforcement Officers be recorded. Lib Dem Cllr Tim Bick told Cambridge News “we clearly want to support our officers, but complaints against them can be made and there might be two sides to the question. It’s our duty to ensure fair play all round. If recorded evidence is possible, it shouldn’t be just one way traffic.” However, Herbert stressed that the Council will be subject to firm controls: “We have learned a lot from the experience of the police in implementing body worn cameras, and council use will be subject to strict policies including that we will also report back on them annually. “This will be a positive addition to help tackle environmental crime, deal with offences fairly and make Cambridge safer for all.”
A Black Lives Matter banner hangs outside Westcott House for Black History Month
Image Credit: Amelia Oakley
Series of assaults triggers safety warnings for students Reetika Revathy Subramanian News Editor
N
otices have been sent to students, fellows and staff to be ‘extemely vigilant’ following a series of assaults on students and members of the public in the city. The first assault was reported on 28 September along Queens’ Road, near to Clare College, when a female student was grabbed by an unknown man at around 22.30. According to the student’s statement, the man, who was described as being in his fifties and wearing a highvisibility vest, took hold of her until she was able to shake herself loose. He later said he was only asking for directions. Barely a week after, on October 7, another college student was attacked
while she was out jogging near Grange Road at around 21.00. A notice issued by the Tutorial Secretary of Queens’ College, said that a male assailant, who was on his bicycle, rode ahead of the student and stopped his bike in front of her, blocking her way. The assailant attempted to grab her, but the student was able to evade the attacker and took refuge in an unspecified Porters’ Lodge. The police have opened an inquiry into the incident. In the most recent case, which took place between 1:00 and 1:20 am on 17 October, a female undergraduate student from Murray Edwards College was approached by a drunk man for money, when she was walking across Magdalene Bridge. According to the student’s police
statement, she ignored the man and kept walking towards Castle Hill, when she realised that he had been following her. “The man then grabbed and assaulted her, before stumbling, at which point she managed to get away and return to College without further harm,” said the caution notice sent to students, fellows and staff across different colleges. It is not only female students who have been affected; according to the Cambridgeshire police, a man in his 20s was attacked in the main market square of the city in the early hours of Wednesday October 5. Investigations are underway. In a bid to ensure students’ safety, the Cambridge University’s Students Union are planning to speak with the police.
“We will be meeting authorities from the Cambridgeshire police next week. We will certainly be raising the issue of the recent spate of sexual assaults,” said women’s officer, Audrey Sebatindira. Many colleges and faculties have meanwhile issued ‘safety messages’ for their students, asking them to move around in groups, carry a torch and charged mobile phone, and in extreme situations, contact the Porter’s Lodge while walking alone after nightfall. Many of the attacks have been reported in neighbourhoods that are predominantly residential areas close to the city centre, usually considered ‘safe’ Police have appealed to the public for information, asking people to call their helpline.