Message to Parents and Guardians

An open letter to parents and guardians from James Broomfield, Security Operations Manager.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Your student has secured a place at one of the most prestigious and expanding universities globally. The University of Edinburgh has earned its place as one of the top academic institutions of its kind and is located in a capital city regarded as one of the most appealing and iconic in the world. The University, and the city, offer a real opportunity for its student community to thrive and to achieve all that they would hope for during their time here.

As part of the University community, your student will desire and expect the best possible experience. This will come in many forms; from a positive learning environment to a busy and vibrant social scene where, in every area, they will wish to feel entirely at home. Perhaps less prominent, but of no less importance, is their safety and wellbeing throughout their time here.

The University of Edinburgh benefits from a dedicated in-house security team who are committed to providing a first-class security service that engenders confidence, safety and wellbeing to the very community of which your student is now a welcome member. Operating across the estate, we are available to this community 24 hours a day, every day. We aim to provide support and advice around matters of personal security, property safety, crime prevention and estate integrity. Your student will find that we are pro-active in our efforts to deliver such services and that we work with our community to preserve, maintain and enhance the overall experience of living and studying here. That is our purpose.

So, as the student journey commences, I now turn to you and would ask you to contribute to our purpose by promoting to them a strong sense of self-awareness and personal responsibility whereby they may feel assured, confident and safe in their new environment. You can achieve this by ensuring that they are aware of key emergency contacts, have a base of family support, are aware of the local geography, have records of valuable property information to hand and that they know how to find us should they need us.

Should you, as parents or guardians, have any or concerns or questions where you feel that we might be of assistance then I would invite you to contact our office.

We welcome the opportunity to meet with and support your student over the coming months and years and wish them every success here at the University of Edinburgh.

Yours sincerely,

James Broomfield, Security Operations Manager

June 2017