"We make a point of taking a taxi home rather than walking back from a club.". On the streets: Avoid walking the streets at night Use public transport or take a cab. He hit back, but the attacker, in his thirties, pulled out a butterfly knife. Matt continued to fight back, and the attacker put the knife away Then he calmly walked back to his car Matt's reaction was one of shock. Paul received a black eye; Gordon, who was knocked to the floor, then kicked, needed hospital treatment for cuts to his lips and face.Matt was not badly hurt, but his attack could have been far more serious. A car pulled up outside the takeaway, and a man approached Matt, the most "student-looking" of the group.Matt says he was hit without warning. Two days later, Matt was attacked at the same place in front of his friends.Both incidents took place late at night after they had visited night- clubs, and were unprovoked, according to the students.

In fact, the students' union suspects that trouble-makers lie in wait after student nights at local clubs.Paul and Gordon were attacked by a group of three youths, who approached them from across the road. Although the incidents are from one town, similar events appear to happen across the country. Paul Young, Matt Yallop and Gordon Stobbart are first-year students living in the same halls of residence. Gordon and Paul were attacked outside a pizza parlour in the town in November. Most incidents were not robberies but random assaults, which local youths call "skelping".

By talking openly about problems, some of them can be dealt with.". Some universities, especially those in large cities, are reporting falling crime rates. In part, this is the result of security measures introduced in the past year. At others, crimes against students are on the increase, particularly burglaries and violent assaults. The students' union at the University of Central Lancashire, in Preston, recorded more than a dozen attacks last term This is more than they normally expect in a whole year. At Liverpool John Moores University, which experienced a number of attacks at one hall of residence last term, the students' union and the university arranged meetings with local residents, and matters seem to be improving.At Southampton, the university has a programme to foster relations with local people. Peter Reader, who is responsible for community relations, says: "Our experience has been that friction is caused by remarkably few incidents.

"That annoys me."Universities can reduce crime, and especially the fear of crime, with better lighting, security patrols, and closed circuit TV cameras.An alternative approach is to integrate students into the community. "They see it as the ideal opportunity to reap the benefits of students' inexperience."Students also under-report crimes, says Mr Wright. Without formal complaints to support the belief that attacks are on the increase, it is harder to lobby the authorities to improve security. "Students, for some reason, think that is their lot and they can't do anything about it," he says. But students are still predominantly middle class, and they have the trappings of a middle-class lifestyle (cars, stereos, computers, and, increasingly, mobile phones), which may cause jealousy. Often, they are simply not streetwise."We have seen a rise in students being targeted by criminals," says Peter Wright, students' union president at the University of Central Lancashire, at Preston.

Somebody on full benefits has more money coming in than a student on a grant. In smaller towns with growing universities, such as Preston or Durham, an increase in student numbers has coincided with a decline in the areas' traditional employment, heightening resentment.Local people usually welcome the students as good for the town This view is not shared by the young unemployed. Muggings are rare, even in large cities, but harassment and assaults do happen. In Manchester's survey, 13 per cent of students reported threatening behaviour off-campus.Assaults and muggings might be motivated by a view that students are a wealthy and privileged elite. Criminals know when students go out, for example, on student nights. It is probably too easy for them." Long holidays and the fact that neighbours expect people to come and go from student houses at odd hours add to the attraction.Most burglaries are opportunist Violent attacks can have more complex causes.