University staff 'face threats'

Unions have called for more action to curb the problem

More than 1,000 incidents of violence or harassment against university staff have been recorded in the past five years, official figures show.

These included stalking, indecent exposure and death threats, the Times Higher Education Supplement found.

There were 178 instances of physical violence and 832 of threatening or initimidating behaviour. One student went to prison for assault.

Higher education unions have called for more action to tackle the problem.

Recording violence

The figures, released by universities under the Freedom of Information Act, show an uneven level of recording threats and violence.

Some 37 institutions said they had not logged any incidents of aggression since 2000.

Kingston University, on the other hand, had been more active, outlining 197 in detail.

Personnel director Liz Lanchbery said: "Kingston University has a zero-tolerance policy with regards to violence or intimidation by any member of the university community and has comprehensive bullying, harassment and student code of conduct policies in place.

"Staff and students are actively encouraged to report any incident, however trivial, so that action can be taken immediately to prevent potential problems becoming more serious."

'Worrying trend'

The Association of University Teachers asked those institutions not logging incidents to make more of an effort.

General secretary Sally Hunt said: "These figures indicate a worrying trend and have brought to light what for many has been a hidden issue.

"Our members have an absolute right to work without fear of assault and intimidation and their employers have a clear duty of care to ensure that this is the case."

Paul Mackney, general secretary of the lecturers' union Natfhe, said: "Any threat or incident of violence is a very serious matter, but most lecturers who are working in a state of fear or experiencing harassment are doing so because of bullying from their manager, not from students."