Reports of 'groups of men' harassing students on Elliot Footpath

Image courtesy of: Aslan Ntumba

By Hamish Hallett

There have been growing reports of girls being followed and grabbed by men on Elliot footpath in recent weeks.

There are growing safety concerns about these reports as witnesses have been describing a group of men harassing women walking home via the route, with social media pages spreading the word about the issue.

This includes @unwomenukkent, a student network promoting gender equality, as well as educating and celebrating the achievements of women around the world.

The group said: “The recent awareness brought to this issue is the starting point for working towards long-term solutions.

“We are currently waiting to discuss with Kent Union and Campus Security has been very responsive to our inquiries.

“This is a very pressing matter and should not be taken lightly.”

In the wake of the reports, Vice-President for Welfare and Community Aisha Dosanjh took a walk with campus security to check the footpath for security concerns.

In a series of Instagram posts, the Vice-President highlighted that hedges could be cut back on the route and new lighting that could be installed on parts of campus to make it safer at night.

The University of Kent is aware of the situation and that they released a statement about the issue.

A spokesperson for the University said: “We can confirm that the University and Kent Police received a report of an isolated incident on Eliot footpath in November.

“This is being investigated by Kent Police and Campus Security. Security patrols have been increased in this area.”

They added: “while incidents such as this are rare, we remind anyone who has been the victim of a crime or attempted crime on campus to report it immediately to Campus Security or Kent Police.”

Crimes or incidents can be reported to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or through Inform Kent (inK), the University’s confidential online reporting tool (https://ink.kent.ac.uk/).