Your safety is a number one priority for the University. For that reason we recommend that all our students download the SafeZone App to your mobile device.
SafeZone is a free app for Northumbria University students, which connects you directly to the University's security team when you need help at City or Coach Lane campuses, as well as at Bullocksteads sports ground. If you are off campus it will offer to connect you to the emergency services.
Northumbria University's security team monitor SafeZone 24 hours a day.
SafeZone makes it easier to contact Security and enables them to respond quickly if you need assistance. When you trigger an alert, the app will send your name and location directly to response team members. You can upload a photo and other optional information, such as your student number, or details of a health condition, that could help responders when they are coming to your assistance.
Download from the App Store or Google Play now.
By installing the SafeZone App and registering as a user, you will also receive any urgent notifications from the University. After submitting your registration form, you will receive a verification email from CrilticalArc (the company that run SafeZone), with a link to complete your registration. If you do not receive this email within a minute or two, please check your spam folder.
Other sources of support:
As well as the SafeZone App, there are a number of other sources of support to help you stay safe while at University.
Please see the Student Life and Wellbeing web pages for information on the range of services available at Northumbria, including welfare support and counselling and mental health services.
If you are a current student you can also contact the Ask4Help service at any time, on campus, by telephone or via Ask4Help Online on your Student Portal.
If you are an existing user, simply download and install SafeZone and tap the icon to start the app. Sign In with your previous e-mail address and password, then you’re all set. If you have forgotten your password, you can request an automated Password Reset from the Sign In screen.
Apart from password reset, we do not yet have a self-service update for personal details. If you’ve changed your phone number (or want to change any other information), please send an e-mail from your registered university e-mail address to our support team, who will be happy to update your details for you. Be sure to let us know if your number changes, because it is very important that our responding officer can call you on your new number. Contact the support team at: support@criticalarc.com Note that your information is always held in strictest confidence as required by EU Privacy Laws.
Security are onsite 24 hours a day 7 days a week via a phone call and they can then talk to you and help you whatever the situation.
If you are outside of the University’s SafeZone boundary when you activate an Alert, your phone will tell you that you’re outside the zone and offer you a connection to “999” for emergency services.
A Call and an Alert are basically the same thing. When you activate one of the three SafeZone buttons (CS Help Desk, First Aid or Emergency), you are initiating a “Call” process, where either you call Security, Campus Services Help Desk or Security calls you.
You are also “Alerting” all active members of the Security team to your need, your location and your identity – so that they can respond to your requirement quickly and effectively.
After the Call (Alert) has been sent, you can still cancel your request, but you will still be contacted by Security to be sure that you are OK.
The three icons mean:
As part of the App download process, you will be asked to agree to the SafeZone End User Licence Agreement. You will also be asked to provide your university e-mail address, your name, and a password. Additionally you may optionally provide other information and a face photo. Northumbria University encourages all users to upload a face photo as this helps the Security officer to identify you when responding to your Alert.
In order to activate your SafeZone account, you will need to respond to an activation mail sent to your Northumbria University e-mail address after you register your details.
All information provided by users of SafeZone is held in a high security data centre. All data transmissions are encrypted. CriticalArc’s handling of any personal data (including location) provided by users is in accordance with, and subject to the provisions of the relevant State and Federal Privacy Laws.
SafeZone does not track your phone’s location unless you specifically request it.
You request tracking by raising an Alert by pressing the Emergency button or Help or First Aid Call buttons. As part of your End User Licence, you agree for use of your location information by Northumbria’s Security personnel in order to expedite their response to your raised Alert. Your phone’s location will be tracked by SafeZone until such time as the Alert is cancelled wether by you or by the Security team.
If you are an authorised Lone Worker and start a Lone Work session, your location will be tracked and displayed on a map for the Security team for the duration of your Lone Work session.
You can un-check the Lone Worker icon at any time to cancel the tracking immediately, and SafeZone will automatically finish your session and stop tracking as you exit the campus.
Your location details during the course of an active Alert are logged by the CriticalArc server and may be used by Northumbria University in future as part of a record of the incident, or for system performance analysis, or for Northumbria University Security training purposes.
The SafeZone system incorporates safeguards to prevent unauthorised use of location data and unauthorised tracking of SafeZone users without their express permission.
The current version of SafeZone App is compatible with:
If you have an Android phone or an iPhone, we advise you to install SafeZone on your phone.
If you do not have an iPhone or Android phone, then you can install SafeZone on your iOS or Android Tablet, however note that tablets generally only have a Data SIM and therefore they cannot make or receive Voice calls.
Since having Security call you is part of the standard SafeZone response procedure, you will not be able to utilise SafeZone’s full capabilities on a Tablet.
Some of these will be configured for you as part of the installation process, which will ask your permission before changing any settings.
Please note that after downloading the SafeZone app, staff must register for Northumbria University's SafeZone or Security will not receive your alerts.
To register, click on the app icon after installing and select "Sign Up". Follow the prompts: you'll need to enter your Northumbria University e-mail address, create a password and provide your name and mobile number.
All feedback is welcome! Select the “Feedback” option in the SafeZone app Menu to make suggestions or provide feedback to CriticalArc. You can also have your say by e-mailing CriticalArc at feedback@criticalarc.com
Yes, visit SafeZone on Facebook.
The Northumbria campus SafeZone coverage is shown in the three maps below:
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