4,000 Award Holders and Counting as Park Mark Motors On

The lucky car park is owned by the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is one of their four car parks now awarded the sought after Park Mark badge of approval.

And this car park is something extra special, acting as a park and ride facility for staff which in turns frees up car parking spaces at Scunthorpe Hospital for visitors. The park and ride runs from Monday to Friday, aiding the traffic management of the hospital, and on Saturday it reverts back to being used for Scunthorpe United Football Club fans and visitors.

As well as innovatively tackling car parking demands at the hospital, the Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has also added a help point, extra signage for users, CCTV and additional lighting to receive their Park Mark award.

Kelvin Reynolds, Head of the SPS at the British Parking Association, which manages the scheme for the Associations of Chief Police Officers (ACPO/S) throughout the UK, said: This once again demonstrates the continued success of the scheme. Park Mark has been gathering significant momentum over the years, and Im delighted we are now welcoming our 4,000th award holder, as are ACPO/S. With numbers of award holders set to continue to grow all over the UK it is our intention to make sure even more consumers know about the scheme, so that award holders get maximum benefit from their drive and commitment to keeping their facilities safe. We want people to actively choose to park where they see the Park Mark sign.

Jug Johal, head of transport, car parking and security for Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: We are very proud to be the 4,000th member of the Safer Parking Scheme. We know achieving the Park Mark award is important to demonstrate the measures we have taken to make our parking facilities safe and secure for visitors and staff. We hope others will continue to follow in our footsteps, creating even more Park Mark approved facilities.

The Park Mark Safer Parking Award is granted to parking facilities that have achieved the requirements of a risk assessment conducted by the Police. These require the parking operator to put in place measures that help to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour, thereby doing everything they can to prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime.

Car parks with the award can use signage featuring the distinctive Park Mark tick, so that drivers know exactly where to go for safe parking. Certain parking facilities that have received the Park Mark Safer Parking Award have seen a drop in vehicle-related crime of over 80%.

Car park operators across the UK are increasingly aware of the Park Mark scheme and the benefits it brings to help prevent crime and boost confidence with residents and visitors.

What is the Safer Parking Scheme?

An initiative of the Associations of Chief Police Officers (ACPO/S), aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime in parking areas. This initiative is much needed, as vehicle crime accounts for a high percentage of all crime (up to 20%) and it is estimated that 22% of vehicle crime occurs in parking areas1. The Safer Parking Scheme works at reducing crime. Certain parking facilities that have received the Park Mark Safer Parking Award have seen a drop in vehicle-related crime of over 80%1.

The Park Mark Safer Parking Award is granted to parking areas that have achieved the requirements of a risk assessment as conducted by the Police. These requirements mean the parking operator has put in place measures 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.

For customers, using a Park Mark Safer Parking area means that the area has been vetted by the Police and has measures in place in order to create a safe environment.

1 Between the Lines: an evaluation of the [former] Secured Car Park Award. Home Office Study 266.