What every motorist wants to know when they park their car is that it is in a safe and reliable car park. Now there is a way to do this with the with new Park Mark website – www.parkmark.co.uk.
Park Mark is the brand of the Safer Parking Scheme (SPS), run by the British Parking Association for the Associations of Chief Police Officers (ACPO/S), and is aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime in parking areas.
Using the new website, motorists can search by street, town or postcode to find a Park Mark car park where they are going, whether for shopping, work or leisure pursuits. If as a motorist you are in a bright, well lit area where you can see everyone, you are bound to feel safer and more confident about your surroundings, say organisers.
The Safer Parking Scheme has 3655 award-holders and numbers increasing. Police accredited assessors do a site specific risk assessment of each car park, taking into account management and maintenance of the facility, to make sure it meets the requirements of the Park Mark award.
Parking operators must put in place measures appropriate to the surroundings that help to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour, thereby doing everything they can to prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime in their parking area. Certain parking facilities that have received the Park Mark Safer Parking Award have seen a drop in vehicle-related crime of over 80pc.
Kelvin Reynolds, Head of the Safer Parking Scheme at the British Parking Association, said: โThe British Parking Association is committed to raising standards across the parking industry and ensuring that motorists are getting the highest level of service. The Safer Parking Scheme is very much part of this remit. Members range from multi-storey car parks at airports and retail parks to railway stations and leisure facilities. Achieving Park Mark® status shows the motorist that you want to create a safe and well managed facility where customers feel safe and we encourage all parking facilities to join the scheme."
Alan McInnes, General Manager, ACPO added: โMost vehicle-related crime is committed by opportunistic criminals. They rely on not being seen whilst committing their crimes, so will often target vehicles parked in quiet and poorly lit areas. Park Mark accredited car parks are inspected by the Police for security and, as such, provide a safer environment for both owners and their vehicles. I would urge people to use the new website to find details of inspected car parks whenever possible.โ
The BPA
The British Parking Association is a non-profit making organisation set up in 1967 to bring together the interests of government, local government, commercial organisations and the general public. The BPA manages the Safer Parking Scheme on behalf of ACPO and with support from the Home Office and Scottish Executive. Seven Development Managers are employed by the BPA to promote and manage the scheme across the UK.
