Winning success! Middlesbrough Sports Village Awarded Park Mark
Prestigious Safer Parking Scheme award recognises measures that deter crime and the fear of crime in car parks.
Middlesbrough Sports Village has received the prestigious Park Mark, the Safer Parking Scheme award that recognises car parks with measures in place that actively deter crime and the fear of crime in car parks. The car parks at the Everyone Active-run site were assessed in October after changes were made to make them safer for customers.
A Park Mark is awarded to parking facilities that pass a rigorous risk assessment conducted by the police and the British Parking Association. The assessments include management and maintenance of the facility, ensuring there are appropriate levels of surveillance, lighting, signage and cleanliness. These criteria are known to reduce the opportunity for crime and create a safer environment for motorists and their vehicles.
Steve Cranston, Designing Out Crime Officer, Cleveland Police said: “When we first visited the facility there were issues around repeat crime and physical features within the car parks. It is great to see that Everyone Active took ownership of the issues upon consultation with ourselves and had a pro-active approach to designing out opportunities for crime to occur. With the installation of a new CCTV system and redesigning of some physical aspects of the car park, the problems and incidents have been drastically reduced.”
Ryan Davey, British Parking Association Area Manager, said: “The management and staff at Middlesbrough Sports Village have worked hard to gain this award. They have made improvements to the car parks which have helped to reduce incidents and have kept people and their vehicles safe when using the facility.”
Lee Dobson, Everyone Active’s General Manager, said “We are delighted to receive the Park Mark award and hope it will reassure the local community that the facilities and safety measures at Middlesbrough Sports Village are of the highest possible standard.”
Car parks with the Park Mark award can use signage featuring the distinctive Park Mark tick, so that drivers know exactly where to go for safer parking. Early adopters of the scheme saw a dramatic drop in vehicle-related crime of more than 80 percent showing the initiative really does make a difference.
Personal safety and location have been cited as joint priorities when choosing where to park. There are currently 4,500 car parks with the Park Mark award throughout the UK which can be found on a designated website www.parkmark.co.uk
Photo left to right:
- Pauline Cofinas, Active Communities Manager, Everyone Active
- Inspector Phil Morris, Cleveland Police
- Lee Dobson, General Manager, Middlesbrough Sports Village
- Ryan Davy, Senior Area Manager - North East and Yorkshire & Humber
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The Safer Parking Scheme
- The Safer Parking Scheme is a national standard for UK car parks that have low crime and measures in place to ensure the safety of people and vehicles. A Park Mark is awarded to each car park that achieves the challenging standards. The distinctive Park Mark signage helps drivers find car parks where they can confidently leave their vehicles, knowing the environment is safer.
Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Police-CPI)
- Police Crime Prevention Initiatives Ltd owns the police element of the project. Police CPI works alongside Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland to deliver the police element of the Safer Parking Scheme. Details of the Safer Parking Scheme and Police CPI can be found at: www.britishparking.co.uk (for operators), www.parkmark.co.uk (for members of the public) and www.securedbydesign.com
The British Parking Association
- The BPA manages the Safer Parking Scheme on behalf of Police Crime Prevention Initiatives Ltd (Police-CPI) and with support from the Home Office and the Scottish Government. Nine Area Managers are employed by the BPA to actively promote and manage the scheme throughout the UK.
- The BPA represents the UK’s parking and traffic management profession and currently has over 750 corporate members. This diverse membership includes local government, private landowners, private parking operators, technology companies, consultants, property developers, architects, and academics. In addition, we support over 500 individuals with their professional development through a separate membership structure
- The BPA is a not-for-profit organisation, working collaboratively with members and stakeholders to support local communities by providing the parking services they need and improving compliance with parking rules and regulations. This is always with an emphasis on excellence & innovation in service delivery, encouraging education and fairness.