Case Study: University of Kent achieves city-wide student safety and 24/7 support with CriticalArc SafeZone

University of Kent Uses SafeZone for City-Wide Initiative

The University of Kent had used SafeZone by CriticalArc since 2016 to support student wellbeing and campus safety, but in 2020 the security team identified the need to extend protection beyond campus boundaries for a rapidly growing, largely international student population. Head of Security Mark Arnold made SafeZone the cornerstone of a new city-wide Connected Routes strategy to improve student confidence, safety and multi-agency collaboration across Canterbury and between campuses.

CriticalArc implemented SafeZone-based Connected Routes: way-marked safer walking paths, designated refuge points and shared control-room monitoring with partner universities, local authorities and businesses so operators can see a caller’s precise location, assess vulnerabilities and coordinate help (refuge, taxi, marshals or emergency services). The solution now delivers 24/7 enhanced support for a combined population of 40,000 students, faster incident response, heatmapping to optimize resource deployment, strong stakeholder buy-in and planned rollout to the Medway campus.

University of Kent

Mark Arnold

Head of Security