UdeM: A safe campus for peaceful studying
- Catching up on campus life
Daisy Le Corre
How many people ensure campus safety every day?
Several dozen security personnel secure the high quality of life enjoyed by campus students and employees every day, 24 hours a day. Their uninterrupted presence is the best way to protect the nearly 70,000 university users. We also rely on a system of cameras scattered throughout campus. UdeM hosts a larger population than some Quebec cities… It’s a city within a city!
Who ensures student security on location?
Peace officers, also called “constables”, hold the same powers as police officers, but only on campus. Security agents, however, ensure the protection of users and the material goods of our establishment. They are the ones who act on location! UdeM is otherwise the only Quebec university to have a team that is able to arrest, search, seize, etc., in real time.
What services do you offer the UdeM community?
The DPS of course oversees a branch tasked with prevention and emergency call response, as well as plan preparation for emergency responses, contingencies, and business continuity, with the help of the emergency response team. The health-security branch is also managed by the DPS and offers a wide range of prevention and intervention activities, from the work station ergonomics to securing different laboratories, as well as the daily operations of support services staff.
What advice would you give students so that they can better take advantage of your services?
They should not hesitate to ask us for help, even if they think that it may not be important. We are there to reassure them and to verify the information given. Our peace officers are indeed increasingly visible among students and staff: we want to be in contact with those that we protect! The prevention and security services must serve the entire university community.
What are important numbers to remember in case of emergency?
The only number to remember is 7771! Soon, it will also be possible to download an app linked to a “mass alert system” that will send alerts in real time to subscribers’ phones.
Daisy is a journalist and project manager with Admissions and Recruitment Services (SAR). Lover of words and of people’s lives, her head is always full of ideas! Full disclosure: she worships Catulle Mendès, the author that inspired her to study androgyny in 19th century decadence literature. Which is also why she is pursuing research in literature at UdeM…
