The background
Theft from motor vehicles is an opportunistic and easily preventable crime. The easiest way to prevent theft from your car is to make sure you have nothng on display whilst it's parked up.
But where you park your vehicle can also increase your chances of your car being broken in to. We looked at those carparks where a lot of crime was taking place and tried to understand why these areas were attracting so many problems. We found that, in the worst cases, the design of the car park was making thefts from cars easier. Problems included overgrown shrubbery and poor lighting that help theives go unnoticed. There was also little or no signs warning customers not to leave valuables on show in their cars.
We contacted the worst car parks and recommended changes that could be made to the design of the car parks that would make them safer. We wanted the owners to take some responsibility for the safety of their customers property. After all happy customers will keep coming back so it's in their interest to help keep them safe.
After repeated attempts to engage with the worst offenders failed, we decided to take drastic action to warn the public that they were at great risk of becoming a victim of crime if they parked on these car parks. The 3 hotspots were:
- Kilhey Court, Standish
- Bay Horse Hotel, Ashton-in-Makerfield
- Greyhound Hotel, Leigh
We wrote to each of the hotels to warn then that if they did not make improvements to their car parks we would name and shame them in the press.
We issued a press release on the 1st August 2007 naming and shaming the car parks. The aim was to shame the establishments into taking our advice and working with us to help bring down crime in the area.
The launch
The launch took place outside the Greyhound Hotel, Leigh.
View the original press release
The launch was also the first time the partnership had used a giant electronic sign. We were so impressed with the impact it made on motorists that we decided to buy our own to use throughout the year. Our own sign, nicknamed 'Big Bird' is now being used by different agencies, such as the Police, Fire Service, and Wigan Council, to promote events and safety messages across the Borough.
What happened next?
Following the launch the 3 hotels began to engage with the Partnership to improve their car parks.
Greater Manchester Police visited each hotel to survey the car parks. They then drew up fresh action plans with the premesis setting out how they would work together to improve security.
The improvements included:
- extra and improved CCTV
- electronic barriers
- removal of shrubbery
- putting up warning notices warning car owners not to leave valuables on display
- crime awareness training for staff
- security guards (at some premises)
- promoting crime prevention messages in the media
Kilhey Court
Macdonald Hotels, the owners of Kilhey Court, invested £60,000 to make improvements to their carpark.
The enhanced security was completed on 29th February 2008. Between then and the end of March there was not even a single vehicle crime incident.
Between 25 June 2007 and 11 May 2008 the number of incidents fell from 41 to 16 - a 61% drop.
Luke Kendall, Operations Manager of Macdonald Kilhey Court said:
"This has been a great opportunity to work with local police and their guidance and timely advice have helped us to reduce car crime. Based on the advice given by Wendy O'Neil (GMP Crime Reduction Advisor) and local officers, the investment of £60,000 by Macdonald Hotels has enabled us to increase CCTV coverage and car park lighting and to install electronically controlled gates."
Inspector Glenn Jones, of the Wigan Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:
"The efforts made by Kilhey Court to reduce vehicle crime on their property are to be commended, and the security measures now in place have had a significant impact on vehicle crime."
"This strategy will not only make the venue more secure for people using the facilities but will enhance the perception of crime in the local community. We will continue to build on this success with the hotel management to ensure the reduction is maintained."
A great success
Since the start of the initiative in August 2007 a further 4 premesis have engaged with the Partnership to improve their track record too.
The full list of 7 premises now working with us to help reduce car crime is:
- Kilhey Court, Standish
- Greyhound Hotel, Leigh
- Bay horse hotel, Ashton in Makerfield
- Toby Carvery, Lowton
- Haigh Hall
- Stone Cross Travel Inn, Golborne
- Total Fitness, Marus Bridge
Between 25 June 2007 and 11 May 2008 there was a massive reduction of 95 vehicle crimes across all seven locations. Three of the car parks saw reductions of more than 60%, including Kilhey court (65% drop), 14 fewer incidents Haigh Hall (an 82% drop - from 17 incidents to just 3), and 17 fewer incidents at Total Fitness (a 65% drop - from 25 incidents to 8).
Overall the improvements contributed to a 22% reduction in thefts from vehicles across the Borough compared to the previous year. That's 759 fewer thefts from motor vehicles between April 2007 and March 2008 compared to the year before (April 2006 to March 2007).
