Arson is up, according to the latest fire statistics, for 2003, from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. From the May print magazine.
What researchers called ‘malicious fire behaviour’ was estimated to impose a cost of £2.9billion on the economy in 2003: “This is an increase of 32 per cent since 2000, a larger increase than in the total cost of fire over this period.” That total includes costs in anticipation of a fire – such as fire protection products in buildings. The cost of malicious false alarms was £94m, a decline of 11 per cent since 2000. The report, The Economic Cost of Fire, went on: “Fire protection in buildings, insurance against fire and fire safety activity are not solely undertaken due to the threat of arson. However, deliberate fire-setting increases the risk of fire and so it can be assumed that it will increase the costs incurred in anticipation of fire occurring. It has been assumed that the proportion of fire protection expenditure due to arson is equivalent to the long-run proportion of all fires that are deliberate.” Taking ten year averages, the researchers suggested that about 20 per cent of domestic fires are deliberate, 45 per cent of other buildings and 70 per cent of vehicle fires. You can download the full report at www.odpm.gov.uk
There may be more exciting titles than Planning Policy Statement 6, Planning for town centres, published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister recently. While security managers may not have – or want – much say in town centre planning, it matters. The Government says it wants ‘vital and viable’ town centres. ‘Safe’ centres, that have crime prevention in mind, are attractive to people and business. To what extent, then, are planners taking on board ‘designing out crime’ principles?
According to the ODPM, in partnership with the private sector, property owners, infrastructure agencies and the community, local planning authorities should, where strategies do not already exist,
consider making a town centre strategy. Issues would include managing the evening and late-night economy, shop-front design, and tackling crime. The statement says: “Local authorities should consider developing a local strategy for the evening and night-time economy which, when co-ordinated with other local strategies, tackles a range of issues from anti-social behaviour and crime
prevention to adequate late-night transport provision to support these activities.” This is in keeping with council obligations under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to keep prevention of crime and disorder in mind. All very good; how though do you monitor town centres, and measure change? The statement proposes what it calls ‘health checks’ – collecting of information, ‘preferably in co-operation with the private sector’. What it calls ‘key indicators’ would include ‘perception of safety and occurrence of crime’ and ‘environmental quality’ information such as litter and graffiti.
The statement suggests authorities may look at appointing a town centre manager. Here the ODPM mention Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). Some have already been seat up, in London; dozens could follow around the country. As the guide puts it: “BIDs provide local authorities and local businesses with the opportunity of working together to put in place additional services or projects to improve their town centres.” Such services – that businesses have to pay for in a tax – could be security ones, such as CCTV or patrols. This offers an answer to crime reduction partnerships seeking paid members in vain – because free-loading town centre businesses that refuse to pay share the same gains in security as the public-spirited businesses that do pay to join the partnership.
