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ISSUE 763 27 NOV 2024 exepose.com @exepose
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987 Image: Livvy Mason-Myhill
Reports of rape and sexual assault in Exeter rise in 2024 Oral histories added to University archives
Amy Rushton Editor-in-Chief
Page 5
Amy Rushton and Agata Koralewska Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor
EXCLUSIVE THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS CONTENT RELATING TO RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT WHICH SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING
University of Exeter at COP29 Page 11
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EPORTS of sexual assault and rape have increased across Exeter in 2024 it has been revealed. According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request obtained by Exeposé, instances of sexual assualt and rape recorded in the postcode EX4 have increased in the past 3 years, rising from 146 in 2021 to 185 in 2023. Reports of sexual assault and rape in 2024 had reached 189 by September — in nine months already surpassing reports across the whole of 2023. This reached a peak in September with 29 reports of sexual assault and rape across the month.
This comes amid rising safety concerns in Exeter, with multiple high-profile case of rape and sexual assault this year. In response, Devon and Cornwall Police have adopted ‘Project NightEye’, which they state aims to “prevent sexual and other crimes by proactively identifying predatory sexual behaviour and intervening to prevent this escalating to an offence”. In response to a request in the FOI to explain the specific actions undertaken under Project NightEye, Devon and Cornwall Police stated “Project NightEye is intelligence led with information feeding into monthly meetings to discuss and propose tactical actions that may be required within the evening and nighttime economy. It can include the deployment of Project Vigilant trained officers in a specific area.” Their website further adds that this may include the deployment of plainclothes police officers outside bars or nightclubs. When asked to explain their Body-Worn Camera (BWV) policy with regards to plainclothes officers, the police stated “BWV must be used to record all stop and search encoun-
ters by both uniform and plain clothes users, and when in plain clothes, BWV must be activated as soon as the user identifies themselves to the subject as a police officer. Plain clothes users must consider how best to carry and utilise BWV, dependent on their role, to ensure the best protection and transparency for all parties.” Following these findings, Exeposé approached Exeter students on their experiences of women’s safety in Exeter. Impressions of Exeter as a safe city vary. Several positive insights have been provided, with one student stating that “any incidents are isolated,” and another student commenting that the drunkenness that they [have] witnessed in the city centre “doesn’t affect them much”. One respondent praised systems such as Nightline or Estate Patrol, stating that they would turn to them if they saw any incidents occur. However, many respondents expressed that they felt they couldn’t take their safety for granted in Exeter. One stated that, as a woman, she has felt that she can “no longer participate in society
events” as she feels unsafe walking around when it gets dark after 4pm. Another mentioned frequent catcalling in the city centre and even on Prince of Wales road, which runs through campus. One respondent shared that a female university student was walking back from the train station at 2pm and she was harassed by a group of guys: “Not two days ago I decided to walk home from the train station at around 2pm thinking I’d be fine considering the time of day. Ended up getting chased by a group of guys who eyed me up across the street and saw I was alone. I called someone in a panic while speed walking away while the guys pointed and came after me, commenting on my ass and taunting whether they should go for me or not. No single person or car was around but I managed to make it to a main street where other people were around. Took the cab home from there. Haven’t been able to walk casually around town since. I love walking and lisContinued on page 4
IT Services conduct simulated ‘phishing’ campaign In conversation: Mark Kermode Page 23
Images (top to bottom): Luke Harding, Our Movie Guide via wikimedia commons,, Subtlepanda via Flickr
Charlie Gershinson Deputy Editor
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TUDENTS have expressed mixed opinions about the IT department’s recent campaign to raise awareness of ‘phishing’ emails. Since the 21st October, IT Services have been running a simulated phishing campaign where every student has, at some point, received a fake phishing email over the succeeding four weeks. Students had the chance to receive a
£100 Amazon voucher if they spotted and reported at least three of the emails. Phishing is a form of cyberattack where bad actors attempt to steal personal information under false pretences. It is the most common form of cyberattack at the University of Exeter, according to IT Services. Examples of simulated phishing emails include one saying that the exeter.ac.uk email domain has been compromised and that students would not receive new emails until they clicked on a link to review their account. Another email said that five emails had been
‘quarantined’ due to a server error. In a survey conducted by Exeposé, all respondents said that they had been sent at least one simulated phishing email. Around 75 per cent had received at least two emails with the most common number being three. Most students (around two-thirds) said that they had not been fooled by any of the emails. When asked if they had any comments, many students spoke positively about the effort. One student said they “think they are a really good way to increase awareness of the massi-
ve dangers that real phishing emails can pose to organisations and the data they protect.” Another student said, “it’s quite good. A lot of the emails look really realistic, and if someone wanted to they could probably catch people out. I think it’s a good campaign that is raising awareness.” One said that the campaign contained educational value for them as they “only fell for the first one, after which I learned to spot them. So, they could be effective.” Continued on page 4