Student Living in the Holylands, pt. 1: ‘Known by Everyone, Including their Mum’ – An Interview With Holylands Spotted

By Ana Lazarut, Katie Ward

The Instagram account known as Holylands Spotted currently boasts a whopping 104k followers, over four times the number of students at Queen’s University. A vessel for everything from student scandals to crime-reporting, Spotted has 16.5k attentive members tuning into its Instagram messaging channel, The Afters, every day.  

As part of an ongoing investigation into student activity and safety in the Holylands area of Belfast, we sat down with Holylands Spotted to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of the biggest staple of Belfast student culture, and how an interest in student safety has become one of its most prominent features.  

TG: Can you tell us a little about how the Holylands Spotted account came to be and how it operates – why/when you started it, and how it’s evolved as the account has grown, etc. Is there still only one person behind the account or are you a team?  

HS: It didn’t come first, I can tell you that. People are always surprised when I tell them that. It started when I was inspired by some badly parked car photos that popped up on QUB Love, I started an Instagram dedicated to that, and after a while, I had the idea of doing one for student meals, and then after another short while, as I was sitting on a friends sofa one night, I asked myself: why not make a page for everything in the Holylands, and that’s when Holylands Spotted was born. From the top of my head, it will be four years old later this year, which is insane to me. I think it’s safe to say the account has definitely evolved. I like to joke about how it’s known by everyone, including their mum, and I think there comes a point where that’s actually true. To this date, it is just me behind the account; it’s mainly a one-man show, but I do get help on certain aspects every now and then! 

TG: Your role has now shifted from a meme page to a crime reporter/ messenger of the Holylands. When did you notice this shift beginning? Is it prompted by a change in the Holylands, or has this always been the case, just without it being reported on?  

HS: I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s shifted, more so just evolved to include the aspect of crime reporting, some would say a live neighbourhood watch, which I can get behind. I think I noticed the shift beginning when I introduced the broadcast channel. It was a means of getting information out to students instantly, and everyone saw the value in this instantly. Whilst I try to keep the channel for fun things, it does come in handy when I need to get something urgent out to the students of the Holylands, or even the residents of Belfast as a whole. I don’t feel like I would be in a position to say whether it was prompted by a change in the Holylands. I do know there has always been the occasional crime committed in the Holylands; it does have its moments, and I think an increase in reporting may make it seem like there has been an increase in overall crime, but who knows really? 

TG: Due to your unique role as messenger, there is a responsibility placed on you. Why do you think people are entrusting you with this responsibility, and how do you feel about carrying it? 

HS: I think the page’s reputation and relatively long-running history help with trust; many reports include some sort of physical evidence, be it a photo or a video. I trust those who report stuff, and I think this translates down to my followers when it comes to them trusting me. When it comes to how it feels carrying this responsibility, it’s usually fine. I wouldn’t say it’s a constant burden or a stress placed on me. I have become accustomed to it, and I am happy to carry that responsibility on behalf of those in the Holylands. 

TG: Do you feel that there is maybe a lack of protection and support for Holylands residents from the institutions in the area?  

HS: I definitely feel like there could be more done on an institutional level when it comes to the safeguarding of students in the Holylands and in Belfast as a whole. A statement from Spotted can only carry so much weight, but I would argue that there needs to be a lot more done by those in a position to effectively inflict that change. Until then, I can only do so much. 

TG: Do you have any feelings on what has prompted and sustained this wave of crime, and do you believe something concrete can be done to decrease the issue, or does it run much deeper than that? 

HS: I think it would be safe to say it runs much deeper, it’s institutional and needs to be addressed at its core. Drugs, homelessness, anti-social behaviour, the list goes on, unfortunately, and it’s especially present in the Holylands, due to multiple reasons. It’s a particularly hard part of running this page; I am always the first to be informed of ongoing crime in the Holylands, and it can get to you every now and then. There are definitely concrete measures that could be put in place to help solve some pressing issues in the Holylands, but there will be a time and place for that to be discussed, I feel. 

Note:

Thank you to Spotted for these important words. This article is part of a collaborative investigative piece into student safety in the Queen’s area, and hearing from a page as prominent and central to current concerns is particularly pertinent.