The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation into reports of somebody trying to take pictures and videos of people in the communal showers at the University of London’s International Hall in Bloomsbury.
On Thursday, the student accommodation’s team sent an email to residents telling them it had informed the Met of “an unidentified individual placing a phone or camera beneath cubicle doors in communal shower facilities”.
“We are working closely with them on their investigation,” the email added.
The hall has responded by announcing more frequent patrols of communal corridors and promising that it “will continue to review security arrangements and make further changes if needed”.
It is not yet clear whether the person is a resident of the hall.
A spokesperson for the University of London said: “The safety and wellbeing of our residents is of the utmost importance to us. We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police on these reports and have written to all residents at International Hall to let them know what steps we have taken, including increased security patrols, and how they can access support. As this is an ongoing police investigation, we are unable to comment further.”
International Hall is owned by the University of London and provides accommodation for students from University College London, King’s College London, the London School of Economics and other institutions. It is the largest single hall of residence in the University of London, with capacity for up to 850 residents.
The reports relate to the communal shower facilities used by residents of the hall, in Brunswick Square. No further details about the investigation have been released, and police have not said whether any arrests have been made.
Anyone affected can contact the Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123, or contact Shout, a 24/7 text messaging service, by texting the word “Shout” to 85258.
