Safe Nights Out
You’ll experience some of your best nights out in-between studying, but if things go wrong, a good time can quickly turn sour.
Northampton is a safe town, but the following tips will help you stay safe and have a brilliant night out with your fellow students and friends.
Preparing for a night out
Safety in numbers is the motto to live by when heading out for a night on the town, so make sure you know who’s coming, and how you’ll be getting home. Ensure there’s a plan to head home together, rather than individually.
Groups sometimes get split up during nights out, so choose a meeting point where you can all wait if you get separated. Communicating on messaging services such as WhatsApp will help you locate people and let them know you’re safe, but if everyone is comfortable sharing their location, apps such as Apple’s Find My Friends offer a great way to stay in touch with your mates digitally.
Keep your phone charged, and if you have one, make sure you charge up and take a portable power bank with you (they cost as little as £10). It’s important to have an ICE (in-case-of-emergency) number in your phone, too, which contains the number of someone close to you should the authorities need to contact them on your behalf.
While out
Know your limits. Everyone likes a good time, but it’s important to stop drinking alcohol before you begin to lose control of your senses. Pace yourself, don’t be pressured to drink or take drugs by others, and make sure you drink plenty of water to keep hydrated. If you’d rather not drink at all, that’s absolutely fine – stick to the soft drinks; you can still have just as much fun!
If you decide to leave earlier than planned, tell everyone and ask for someone to come back with you. If you decide to head back with someone new, give the address to a trusted friend before leaving.
If you become separated from your party and can’t relocate them, look for street marshals and pastors who are often in the town centre on busy nights. They’ll be able to help you.
Travelling home
When travelling back to the campus, your home or someone else’s home, never accept a lift from a stranger or an unlicensed taxi – there are plenty of licensed taxis in Northampton, and those that are will have a claret and white license plate on the back of their car. Licensed private hire taxis display white and yellow license plates. View our advice on using taxis in Northampton, here.
If you decide to walk home, do so with friends, stick to well-lit routes and avoid shady shortcuts.
Who can I talk to if something goes wrong?
If you fall victim to crime during a night out, call the police on 999 (for emergencies), or 101 (for non-emergencies).
Voice has a team of highly trained counsellors who can offer free, confidential advice to men and women who have experienced or witnessed crime during nights out, no matter where or when it took place. Contact us today if you want to talk.