This week, my police community support colleagues and I have found ourselves in the local university and its surrounding streets.

October always sees an influx of new students turning up at the universities of their choice, no doubt filled with a sense of excitement, apprehension and a willingness to learn, coupled with what will no doubt be a sense of disorientation at being in a strange town and a different environment.

In the past, police officers have attended at universities to speak with new students in an attempt to make them aware of basic crime related issues associated with being in a new town or area.

After all, if you are residing in a new town or city it is always an advantage to know where it's safe to stay or walk during certain times of the day.

We also offer crime prevention advice. For instance, most students now have access to laptops and other types of electrical gadgets, so it is important to log these items or even better to get them registered on the MEND database, which is a national property register that the police have access to and which anyone can register their personal items on.

Inevitably, an influx of new students from all over the country also brings with it a few headaches for the local residents and ourselves.

This normally takes the form of two types of complaints. The first is normally about noise nuisance, although in fairness once freshers' week has come and gone this tends to die down and is then restricted to only when the universities have special events on in the bars or clubs. The second complaint relates to the parking of private vehicles in nearby residential streets.

Now those who know me also know that normally "I don't do traffic".

Personally, I think we alienate a lot of decent law abiding people with some of the enforcement powers available to us. That said, when we get complaints then we have to act upon them, and this week has been a case in point.

The local universities have made a huge effort over the past few years to restrict students' vehicle use. This has included free buses between campuses, on-site parking for students as well as staff, and, in some cases, making it part of the joining clause that students in their first year are not allowed to bring a vehicle to university.

But those who do choose to travel by car must obey parking restrictions or laws set out in that area.

Despite strenuous efforts by all involved, this week we have had to enforce parking regulations on students, which has resulted in several vehicles being issued with parking tickets and, in extreme cases, being towed away.

This is not a task we enjoy but when buses are unable to get through due to inconsiderate parking, or residents can't get their own cars off the driveway due to another vehicle obstructing it then we are left with no option but to get the offending vehicle removed.

It is a fact that for the duration of their learning experience, the students are also residents in the area and should also be allowed to park their own vehicles – after all if they are taxed, insured and where applicable have a current MOT then their entitlement is no different from anyone else.

Rest assured that if I get residents complaining about a vehicle parked legally in the areas, as I sometimes do, then I will stand up for the students and just walk away.