The Secured Car Parks Scheme was set up in 1992 by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) as part of its 'secured by design' initiative, to encourage improved security standards as a means of reducing crime and the fear of crime in car parks. The Scheme is supported by the Home Office and administered by the British Parking Association.
There are now some 1400 car parks in the Scheme which has been under review by the ACPO Steering Committee following the publication a year ago of the Home Office commissioned research study, 'Between the Lines - an evaluation of the Secured Car Parks Award Scheme'. While the report suggested that the Scheme worked in reducing crime and the fear of crime, it highlighted a number of areas where improvements were needed. For example, it suggested that the criteria of the Scheme may be too restrictive and that it lacked the consistency of application throughout the country. It also questioned the name 'Secured', which some saw as misleading in that it could imply a higher level of security than was the case, it highlighted concerns about the lack of crime statistics around the country and suggested that the Scheme was not yet well known by the public. Overall the Report felt that to be more successful the Scheme needed to increase the number of car parks with the Award substantially.
The Steering Committee has addressed these concerns and plans to relaunch the Scheme under the new title, 'The Safer Parking Award' later in the year. A copy of the draft new Guidelines for Self Assessment can be found and downloaded from the British Parking Association website (please click here - Word format 340k).
