Is Our Safety and Security Guaranteed on University of Cape Coast Campus? Undergraduates Students’ Perceptions

Abstract

In higher education like other institutions, safety and security of persons particularly students resident on university campuses remain topical. The limited research conducted on the experiences of university students in Ghana reflects paucity of literature on safety and security on university campuses in Ghana where such issues have been neglected. Yet, there have been numerous instances where students’ study lives have been threatened due to acts of burglary and other forms of violent acts. The issue of campus safety is thus crucial and there is the need to pay attention to it. This study is drawing mainly on perceptions of students about safety and security issues in University of Cape Coast (UCC). Working within a case study which used survey design to obtain a comprehensive picture of students’ perceptions about their safety and security on campus, the findings showed that students are not satisfied with the overall safety and security on campus particularly in the evenings. The students suggested that building more halls of residence, improving the lighting system on campus, and installing emergency phones across campus, intensifying security presence on campus as well as controlling the number of people that enter the campus are sure ways of ensuring that UCC was safer.