The city of Lincoln has applied for Purple Flag status to nationally recognised as a safe city at night. Purple Flag, run by the Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM) aims to enhance the appeal of city centres and towns at night. The safety and enjoyment of citizens and visitors are both taken into account.
Alongside the police and PCSOs, Street Pastors have been on hand since 2007 to help keep Lincoln safe at night. With a growing number of restaurants, bars and clubs, and an increasing university population, the importance of Lincoln’s night-time safety is rising.
But how safe do students feel at night? Jess Bewly, a third year student at the university, said Lincoln “can be pretty rough”, adding “you don’t see many police”. However, her concerns focused mostly on residential areas, saying that the south of the High Street is “not particularly safe… I had my car broken into”.
Darrius Hosseini, a third year media production student, is also concerned over safety in residential areas rather than the city centre. He said that the high police presence at night where he lives is “concerning, but a good thing”, and that “rumours [of crime] are worrying”, but has not been personally affected.
Charlotte Hope, an International Tourism Management student in her third year feels Lincoln is a safe city at night. She said “I feel safe enough to walk home alone at night”, but also commented that there is “not much” of a police presence in the city centre at night.
If Lincoln is successful in its bid to gain the Purple Flag, it will join 16 other towns and cities across the UK that have been granted the award.
I’ve always found Lincoln to be a pretty safe place, though I’m not keen on all the CCTV cameras in my face. Most violent crime seems to be between people who know each other, though there is a fair amount of theft in the West End. As a woman I experience far less street harassment here than in many other places, though a student did grope me on the High Street one time, during Freshers Week, so perhaps I’d feel safer with a Woman’s officer, or if all of the advertising for local bars and student nights (carnage etc) didn’t make it look as if women were a part of the special offer.
In the space of four years at Lincoln, I was attacked and hospitalised, mugged, confronted, and followed home on several occasions, all in different areas of the city. Lincolnshire police failed to act and after being attacked, I was never even asked to provide a statement. I know several people who have experienced similar problems, with two of my friends having their cars stolen and house broken in to. It seems that the police are only ever out in force on Lincoln City match days, or out at night to keep a ‘watchful eye’ over our female students (use your imagination for that one). I was told that Lincoln was a safe city when I first arrived, but I think there is a lot of work needed before they can claim that the city is a safe place to be.
Lincoln is a very small city, compared to Nottingham, Leeds, Birmingham etc. It is relatively safe too, with much lower crime. (Leave anything visible in a car inNewcastle and it will be gone in less than 15minutes.) That said, Lincoln is not a village, it is a big town (city) and it has its bad guys. They are easier to deal with because they are the minority, but you still need to be street wise. If you have a hard time coping with Lincoln, you could end up as an obit in a big city.
A very narrow minded way of looking at things; just because ‘bad guys’ are in the minority, it does not make dealing with them any easier, i’m sure victims of crime will agree.
“If you have a hard time coping in Lincoln, you could end up as an obit in a big city”. I know many people who come from big cities, and yet feel more uncomfortable in Lincoln, myself included. As you say, it is a small city, however this provides a very concentrated area and general ‘hotspots’ for crime.