"We ask for the right to walk home without constantly checking over our shoulders", student tells local leaders
Amy Fuzzard spoke at the Police, Fire and Crime Panel last week
A student from the University of Northampton has urged local leaders to make their safety a priority.
Speaking at the Police, Fire and Crime Panel last week (4th December), final-year student Amy Fuzzard said the walking route from campus into town has been neglected for too many years.
This has been causing many students to feel unsafe enough to pay for expensive transport or simply stay at home.
Amy explained: "For years, the designated safe route connecting the university to the town centre helped students travel confidently, especially during busy evenings and different periods.
"It wasn't just a pathway for us. It was a promise. One that said the council recognised student safety as a priority and that the town welcomed us.
But as many of us know, that promise has faded. Without maintenance, lighting, and clear signage, the route has become invisible. And with that invisibility has come something far more concerning. Vulnerability."
She added that according to recent university-wide polling, more than half (51%) of students felt "to some degree a deep concern for their personal safety".
Additionally, she highlighted that more than 150 reported incidents of violence and sexual offenses in the town centre added to the discomfort.
"This is not just a safety issue.
"When students don't feel safe moving around Northampton, they become less connected to local community, local culture, and the town itself. We want to be a part of Northampton.
"We want to support the local economy. We want to feel proud of where we study and live, but safety must come first", she said.
"We don't ask for luxury. We ask for dignity, for safety, and for the right to walk home without constantly checking over our shoulders or having to remove our headphones out of fear of just becoming another statistic.
"The route already exists. The framework is already in place. We are just missing the support from local leaders to bring back our safe route and show that Northampton is and always will be a secure place to study.
"The safe route is an investment, an investment into safety, community, and in the well-being of thousands of young people who call Northampton a home."
Northamptonshire's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Danielle Stone, responded that the route falls under the responsibility of the council and the university - but she added that her office does have the capacities to help.
"My office did put in just over £8,000 I think, to support safety measures along that route and I do have funding available for people coming forward to to suggest ideas to help improve safety", she explained.
"What I really want to do though is make sure that wherever we are, young people are safe and women and girls are safe.
"So, it's not just about a safe route, it's having a safe community and a safe context."
Last Monday (1st December), the PFCC launched the Northamptonshire Women's Charter to support this exact goal.
Local organisations can sign up to be part of this charter - something Ms Stone recommended the university to do.
She also invited Ms Fuzzard to this year's Violence Against Women and Girls Conference which will take place on the 10th of December.
West Northamptonshire Councillor Sally Keeble also added that she had bee noticing issues with the route, including insufficient lighting, steep paths and too much undergrowth.
"There's no point having a walking strategy that people can't use because they don't feel safe and there are a lot of issues going on in Northampton, particularly, obviously, during the winter months when the darkness doesn't help", she said.
She also assured Ms Fuzzard that she would work with other councillors to pick up "some easy wins" for a quick effect.