The security department at Newcastle University is launching a new app to provide around the clock reassurance to students and staff on campus.
Going live on Monday, February 15, the SafeZone mobile app will be available for free to students and staff. It users to summon assistance, while enabling security teams to respond to everyday events through to full-scale emergencies. SafeZone features mass notification and monitoring for users working alone.
With the app rollout, the University joins with Northumbria University and other local agencies, including Northumbria Police, to maximise the benefits of the the service as part of Newcastle’s Safe City initiative to extend emergency response services.
Shed Coulthard, Estates Security Manager, Newcastle University, said: “The personal wellbeing of students and staff is our top priority and while we uphold an impeccable record on safety – in a city widely regarded as one of the safest places to study in the UK – we are always open to innovative use of technology to ensure that we continue to deliver the best possible student experience.
“While our campus is already very safe, the SafeZone app will give extra re-assurance to our students and staff. It will also help us to work closer with partners across the city and to continue providing efficient response to incidents at any scale.”
Darren Chalmers-Stevens, Director EMEA at CritialArc, developers of the app, said: “Newcastle University is part of a growing number of universities in Europe and Australia to offer SafeZone. The app will complement the outstanding work of the University’s security team while giving staff and students a simple and quick means to request assistance when they need it.”
The cloud-based service will be supported on campus and geo-enced safe zones in the city, including popular routes between campus buildings, halls of residence and parts of the city centre. Users will be able to check the app to see if an area off-campus is monitored as a safe zone.
SafeZone is available to download at http://www.safezoneapp.com/.
