Britain's biggest crime hotspot: car parks?

A staggering 20% of all recorded crime is vehicle related - 22% of which takes place in car parks. ACPO and the BPA are fighting this crime with a nationwide initiative called The Safer Parking Scheme aimed at detering criminal activity and anti-social behaviour.

Safer Parking status, indicated by the Park Mark award, is accredited to parking facilities with measures that help to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour, thereby doing everything they can to prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime in the parking facility.

The Safer Parking Scheme is owned by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), and managed by the British Parking Association. The Safer Parking Scheme development managers work with accredited police assessors to provide expertise and advice to car park operators to raise standards of safety and deter crime.

Below are some fine examples of recipients of the ParkMark award, from prestigious new developments, to universities, to local council premises, all have worked hard to achieve Safer Parking status. This has resulted in a considerable reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Westfield’s Stratford City – the gateway to the Olympic Park – wins Park Mark award. Focus is clearly on safety at the brand new retail and leisure centre, which is the gateway to the Olympic park and is the largest urban shopping centre in Europe.

Chief Inspector Phil Maddock from the Protective Security Command, Metropolitan Police Service said: "The Metropolitan Police Service, together with our security partners has worked closely with Westfield to reach this impressive achievement in security design. Westfield Stratford City has raised the protective security bar for future major developments"

Queensgate Shopping Centre, Cambridge, is re-opened following refurbishments in a bid to tackle crime in the area. Over the past few years, close working partnerships between Queensgate Shopping Centre and police have aimed to reduce crime in the area, and this effort has paid off as the facilities have been awarded the Safer Parking Scheme’s Park Mark award.

University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has been awarded Park Mark status for its Ayr Campus car park which commends parking facilities of a high, police approved standard.

It is the first university in the whole of Scotland to achieve the award and highlights the University’s commitment to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for staff, students and visitors.

Tendring District Council car parks, many improvements have been made resulting in crime and anti-social behaviour being significantly reduced. Mike Bibby (Development Manager - South East) said, “I am very impressed with Tendring District Council’s commitment to the scheme as they have continually strived to improve their parking facilities and this is reflected in the fact of no crime being recorded over the past twelve months.”

There are currently around 5000 Park Mark® awarded car parks in the UK. For more details go to www.parkmark.co.uk

Tweet