Warwick nightlife under scrutiny as students voice safety concerns

Now that students are well and truly back at university for their first term of the year, an investigation by The Boar has found that over 70% of respondents only feel safe on nights out at university when in a group.

Since nightlife is a crucial part of the ‘university experience’, the extent to which students feel safe is especially pivotal. The Boar has found that walking alone, poor street lighting, and unwanted attention are the three main situations that make Warwick students feel unsafe while on a night out in the local area.

However, location seems to make a significant difference when assessing how safe students feel during a night out: 94% of respondents claimed that they have never felt unsafe during a night out on campus, while 35% reported that they have felt unsafe while clubbing in Leamington Spa.

In responses about both Coventry and Leamington Spa’s nightlife, students reported that the number of people in clubs can make it feel very unsafe. One respondent told The Boar that they have “almost been knocked over multiple times,” and another stated that the crowding was so bad it “meant I was separated from some of my friends, and it took a while for the whole group to get back together”.

Be vigilant and aware of your surroundings, especially when leaving venues

VP Welfare & Campaigns, Harri Paget

Threats to young people’s safety in Leamington Spa have made national news recently, following the stabbing of a teenager in the Pump Room Gardens on 16 October at approximately 10:25pm. Detective Inspector Imran Ghouri has said that there were “a lot of people in the area at the time” and people have been urged to share any footage of the attempted murder with the police.

Safety during nights out in Coventry has also recently been a topic of relevance, following the statement made by Warwick’s Students’ Union during Freshers’ Week this year. The Vice President of Welfare and Campaigns, Harri Paget, said on 28 September that “we have had a number of reports from Warwick students following their nights out in Coventry, over the past few days. Reports have included being followed and in one chased through Coventry town.”

The statement then advised students to “be vigilant and aware of your surroundings, especially when leaving venues,” and to “have your mobile phone charged and money to get home safely.”

This level of unsafety in the local nightlife coincides with a reduction in students regularly enjoying nights out

Alongside this advice, The Boar’s survey also allowed respondents to share advice about how to navigate nights out safely in our local area. Since many (52.9%) shared that spiking was another key cause of concern when on a night out, respondents suggested people should “keep an eye on your drinks” and “cover your drinks.” Students also shared that they felt it was important to plan arrangements during a night out with a group: one respondent advised to “stay in a group, always go home together with everyone, look out for your friends and always know how you are getting to and from the club.”

This level of unsafety in the local nightlife coincides with a reduction in students regularly enjoying nights out: in 2024, The Boar reported that 40% of respondents went out once a week in 2024, whereas our new survey has found that number has decreased to 35%.

Alongside The Boar’s research, the Unifresher ‘best unis for nightlife’ awards 2027 analysed 124 universities’ pub count, affordability and safety. While the University of Warwick ranked 64th overall, it scored 38.3 out of 100 on safety, meaning it placed 114th in this specific category.

Our on-campus Community Safety Team is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to support members of our community whenever they need help

University of Warwick spokesperson

To help students feel safe when on nights out at university, the University of Warwick has many initiatives in place. A University spokesperson told The Boar that “the University of Warwick is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for everyone in our campus community.”

“The free SafeZone app gives members of our community quick and easy access to support on campus at any time. Key features include requesting emergency or first-aid assistance, checking in, reporting safety concerns and receiving real-time safety alerts.”

However, The Boar has found that students don’t often take full advantage of this: nearly 65% of respondents said that while they know what the ‘SafeZone’ app is, they do not use it, and 11% of students said they did not know about the university’s links with the app.

Furthermore, Nightline is another service offered by the university to support students who feel unsafe during a night out on campus. Similarly to ‘SafeZone’, nearly 53% of respondents claimed that they did not know where it was located on campus. This unawareness has risen by 6% since 2024.

In a comment to The Boar, the University signposted the support they offer: “our on-campus Community Safety Team is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to support members of our community whenever they need help.”

“Our Report + Support platform provides a secure and confidential way to report sexual misconduct, bullying, harassment, discrimination or hate crime. We encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses such behaviour to use the platform to report it and access information about available support.”

“Our Support at Warwick webpages provide students with practical advice and information about safety on and off campus while our Emergency Contacts page provides easy access to essential services.”