Nottingham East Midlands Airport (NEMA) has become the first airport in the UK and the first organisation in the Midlands to be given the Park Mark Safer Parking Award. Mark Rowe talked to some of those involved. From our February print edition.
More than two and a half million vehicles were parked at the airport, between April 2003 and March 2004. Leicestershire Police report that during that time, only 29 incidents of vehicle crime were recorded. At the official presentation of the award in December, Stewart Bradshaw, Leicestershire Police architectural liaison officer, praised the airport’s car parking as well-run. He confirmed that the difference between the new scheme and the old (see separate article) is that the new is based on risk assessment and takes more notice of crime rates – such as crime in the surrounding area. If the car park has more crime than the surrounding area, it does not get the award. He described the award as a carrot and stick approach: no-one wants to lose the award, on the annual re-inspection. If crime should rise, inspector and operator could look at the causes. In the case of the airport, it cannot match the physical security requirements as used in other car parks; lighting cannot be to British Standard, Stewart Bradshaw said, because the car parking is under a flight-path: “So you have to balance it against how the car park is managed.” PC Michael Kaiser, Loughborough-based crime reduction officer, featured in our November issue, has done work at the airport, in liaison with Gary Simons, divisional security manager on the aviation side for airport operator MAAS (Manchester Airport Aviation Services) who also has responsibility for Bournemouth airport. Security measures – to combat crime and, after 9-11, terror – include car park barriers, CCTV, patrols by guarding contractor Securicor, and a police office on-site. Sgt Pete Widdowson, based at the airport, spoke of a free flow of information between police and Securicor guards: “We rely on them, quite frankly, to tell us things that we don’t get to hear about; it’s an excellent relationship.” Insp Tony Marson, in charge of police at the airport, added of Securicor: “They complement is and we complement them. They are here in fixed points as well as on the car park. there’s a total confidence in each other.” The car park operation is run, and its CCTV monitored, not by Securicor but by MAAS; those cameras have been used by police for evidence-gathering and for a number of successful arrests and prosecutions – some not car park-related.
What they say
NEMA’s Commercial Manager, Jamie Christon said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have reached this national standard of safety at our car parking facilities here. It gives that important peace of mind to our passengers and visitors that when they leave their vehicle, they can be assured that we will do our utmost to keep them safe at all times.” Prestige, which runs indoor parking at NEMA, has gained the award too. The airport has done improvement works on the short-stay car park. Costing more than £90,000, it includes the re-lining and enhancement of the car park itself and creating a dedicated zone for the dropping-off and picking-up of passengers. NEMA is also increasing the number of taxi bays next to the terminal arrivals area. New ticket payment kiosks with weather shelters have been installed at the exits to the car park. Customers can pay by debit and credit card at all barriers. Staff are on hand to answer questions at dedicated assistance points.
What they say
Leicestershire Chief Supt Geoff Feavyour, handing over the award, told Professional Security: “This is a prime target for car thieves; there is a ready supply of vehicles.” Moreover, in the longer-stay car parks particularly, thieves know that the owners would not discover a crime for days. (This can be mitigated by for instance routing regular buses for staff and passengers past the long-stay parking, to provide ‘natural surveillance’; eyes and ears.) Yet, despite the airport’s rise in passenger numbers, crime has decreased, Chief Supt Feavyour added. In a nod to how security can aid a business – and airports and low-cost airlines are competing fiercely for trade – Chief Supt Feavyour added that passengers have a choice of airport and will choose East Midlands because of its professional set-up. Airport and other operators (such as hospitals) neglect car park security at their peril for another reason – parking is a sizeable source of revenue. A stay of just over one hour at the NEMA short-stay park cost Professional Security £4.50.
