Dubai: Students of various educational institutions in the UAE said they have not had reason to worry about their personal safety on campuses despite reports of violence in varsities and school campuses around the globe.
Linda Fairhart, supervisor of student services at Al Ain Women's College (AAWC), said the round-the-clock presence of security staff ensured that there were no unpleasant surprises.
"Students must have ID cards in order to enter the campus. Guests must have an appointment and the appropriate staff member is contacted prior to entry."
AAWC has developed an emergency response plan that all staff are familiar with, said Fairhart. "Basic instructions are given to students during the orientation process and guidelines are also laid out in the student handbook. The relevant material has also been made available online."
Investigative duties
The American University of Sharjah has a security division. Its responsibilities include registering complaints, investigating violations and managing traffic.
Salem Al Qaseer, vice-chancellor of public affairs at the university, said a critical step towards student safety is awareness of security procedures and services available on campus.
"It is essential that every student has a clear understanding of the few simple factors that could be critical in the event of an emergency," he said.
At Dubai Women's College, there are four levels of security starting at the outer perimeter and going all the way to the classrooms, said Atiq Seddiqi at the finance and administration department.
Security measures include security officers, a high boundary wall with four security access controlled gates that are manned around the clock, bar-coded student ID cards, which students and staff must use to access the premises and 32 CCTV surveillance cameras that work around the clock.
"Being an all-female college for Emirati students, a lot of resources are devoted to ensuring a safe environment," he said.
"We conduct special workshops involving students such as safe driving, earthquake response and periodical evacuation drills," Seddiqi said.
Stephen Drake, a self-defence instructor, said that although the city is generally safe, it is important to know a few techniques.
"I have been reading about incidents that I wasn't reading about when I first got here. Nowadays I hear and read about people being assaulted for something as small as a mobile phone or mugged for small amounts."
"The common scenario is boy meets girl - a girl talking to another boy, which triggers off an incident." Attacks on females who are "easy targets" are also common, he said.
"Lots of people send their kids abroad to be educated and the crime rate is absolutely sky high," he says.
"Self-defence is really 90 per cent awareness - being aware of your environment, your instincts, gut feelings. Only 10 per cent is delivering a physical response."
Is safety an issue on campuses across the UAE? Do you know anybody who had either a good or bad experience? What happened? What do you do to avoid being involved in dangerous situations?
By Manal Ismail and Amelia Naidoo