The University was facing frequent challenges around drug use on campus and other illegal activities taking place. This was due to a lack of security presence which also lead to concerns around student safety at night. In particular, lone students who were particularly vulnerable.
There was also a need for pastoral support and safeguarding for vulnerable students. This was especially needed during out of hours where the University didn't necessarily have the capacity to always be available.
In addition to this, the University was keen to create career pathways for students that were interested in security. They had seen a rising demand of people looking to take this route but needed someone with specialist knowledge of the industry to offer the right level of support.
They were also facing challenges around reports generating too much paper and the damage it was causing to the environment. This was causing concern about their brand image and wanted to find a quick solution so that they could quickly start to reduce the number of paper being used on site.
The University of South Wales turned to Kingdom to implement solutions to help them overcome their different challenges. One of the first actions we took was to introduce random sweeps with a canine unit to patrol the campus for drugs, particularly in busy periods such as freshers week.
Kingdom also initiated the launch of the SafeZone app into the Universities' operations. This app allows students and staff from the University to contact the dedicated security directly and call for aid should they find themselves in any type of danger. This paperless mapping system linked to University iPhones and the University estates department, allowing our team to assist in keeping their students safe at all times.
We also worked with the University to link them to different helplines which are dedicated to offering dedicated mental health and student welfare support. We've also supported them on various recruitment days, including running a stall to encourage students to join the security industry.
On top of all this, Kingdom has also introduced our KOMPLETE software to the University of Wales' operation. This allows all reports ran through their system to be produced and shared online.
The results
Since working with Kingdom, the University of South Wales has seen a drastic reduction in the number of drugs being used on campus. The introduction of the SafeZone app has also better protected impressionable students such as incoming freshers and those from overseas.
Our team is also now able to support students out of hours who may be suffering from a mental health crisis, and act as first responders if necessary. We've provided telephone counseling for the Universities security guards on occasions too. This has been powered by Perkbox, an employee benefits platform that helps you care for, connect with and celebrate your employees.
Kingdom has also introduced a volunteer scheme at the University which gives students who may be interested in a career in the industry to support the security team and gain valuable work experience.
The introduction of the KOMPLETE app has also produced over 200 reports per month for the University - all of which are paperless. This has had a huge impact on their brand image and played a big part in their pledge to become a more eco-friendly organisation.